


Love and Destroy

by i_swear_ur_heartless



Series: Love and Destroy [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Greek and Roman Mythology, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Norse Mythology, The Avengers (2012), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Humor, Crossover, Daddy Issues, F/M, Loki Does What He Wants, Other, Post Avengers, Sexual Content, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-29
Updated: 2013-11-17
Packaged: 2017-12-21 19:35:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 37,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/904076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_swear_ur_heartless/pseuds/i_swear_ur_heartless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being captured and sent back to Asgard to face "justice", Loki escaped and is now on the run from virtually everything and living on Earth. After using internet dating out of curiosity he finds himself on a date with Eris, the Greek Goddess of Chaos.</p><p>Eris has a golden apple of discord, an object of unimaginable power and destruction. A object so powerful can easily become a deadly weapon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The woman at the Bar

**Author's Note:**

> First official fanfic so please be gentle, although comments are appreciated.  
> I've treated Olympus like it's another realm like Asgard and Earth (Midgard)  
> Eris being an awesome somewhat messed up ageless goddess that she is, she had been on Earth a lot longer and has some cooler tricks because of it.  
> Also I've referenced to events in Greek mythology but in way that their sort of explain themselves, if you want to know anymore just comment.

Dating websites, the latest method Midgardians used to find a mate. Not that Loki ever seen to have trouble with before, but mind you he was curious though and this internet dating seemed to cut out the hassle of trying to find someone to chat up.

So Loki had a date, after shifting through the profiles of nutcases and the married nymphomaniacs here he stood at the bar of high class restaurant sipping some quite exquisite scotch while he waiting for his date to arrive. She was already late; if his watch was correct she was late by over half an hour by now. His jaw tightened in annoyance. “Five more minutes.” He thought “Five minutes and then I am leaving” That would give him enough to time to enjoy his drink. Maybe he could go out to a bar and salvage something from this disastrous experiment.

“I’m assuming you are Loki.” Purred a rich female voice which he likened to honey. He turned his head to identify its owner.

“And you are late.” He stated flatly.

“Fashionably late, I’d like to think,” She countered “are we going to have dinner or shall I leave you alone with your drink?”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise; it was very rarely a simple midgardian had the audacity to speak to him like that even when they didn't know who he truly was. Then again as he studied her, he was being to doubt that assumption, she wasn't human at all. She was average height, made taller by a pair of glossy black heels. She was toned which emphasis her curves, much like the little black and white dress she wore. But it was her face that drew him in. Her face was oval shape, with a long thin nose and a pair of plum, cherry coloured lips that seemed to be in a perpetual smiling pout. Her olive skin tone contrasted with her eyes, gold in colour and rimmed with bronze around the outer iris. Maybe she was worth the wait.

The woman who stood before him was also drinking in his appearance. His lean but muscular build was clearly visible through his crisp white shirt and well cut black three piece suit. His long raven black hair hung at his shoulders, framing his pale face and those startling cheek bones that could cut stone. 

“Well, then Eris, we should better be seated then.” He answered

A young waiter lead them to a secluded table and Loki held her chair out for her before sitting himself and handed her a menu. Without sparing a glance at each other they quickly ordered meal and a good bottle of wine and sent the waiter scurrying off. Loki looked across the table and directly into her eyes, the harder he looked a silver aura became more and more visible and he was sure she was doing the same to him. 

“Eris, are we just going to pretend that both our parents named us after ancient gods?” he asked

“Only if you want to, I can maintain this glamour for as long as I need” She replied with a smile. “But I was wondering what the exiled asgardian prince would look like in all his finery.”

He laughed bitterly. “My finery? Well I would love to see one of the very few legitimate daughters of Zeus in her natural attire, even though she doesn't hold a seat on Olympus”

Her smile didn’t slip but her eyes hardened. “Touché, using my half siblings against me, Loki. Can’t say I didn't deserve it” She glanced down at the table “And I would be lying if I told you I didn’t mean to upset you, being the Goddess of Chaos I have a cruel tongue.”

The waiter arrived with the wine and two glasses, Loki poured them both a glass. “I have it on good authority I have a silver tongue, so we do make a pair.”

“The Greek Goddess of Chaos and the Norse God of Mischief out on a date, if our families could see us.”

Loki chuckled and a grin spread across his face. “I doubt they’re much that would shock them now.”

“You did give birth to a six legged horse.” They both bursted into laughter.

“Ha! That story isn’t true I can assure you. Changing the subject, what are you doing on Midgard?”

“A girl’s got to get he kicks somehow, why not Earth?” she paused to sip her wine. “These humans are so complex and yet so simple at the same time.”

“Easily underestimated too. Especially the ones who turn into green beasts”

Eris snorted. Loki smiled at her. He felt almost at ease her presence, this rarely happened to him, especially as of late. Perhaps it was a feeling of kinship between two shunned royals he thought to himself.

“We have something in common there”

“We do?”

“You laid wasted to most of New York with alien army; I destroyed the Troy with an apple.”

“Yes, your golden apples.” His eyes shone in awe. “That fruit is legendary throughout the realms; the magic you used caused one of the bloodiest Civil Wars ever seen.”

“Coming from you, that is quite a complement.” 

“Strange it’s only limited to the female of your species.”

“Strange? Loki, magic fruit isn’t exactly mind bending,” The waiter soon arrived with the meal. “Shall we eat?”

They ate in silence for a while. “Loki, what are you doing here?”

“I am in a three Michelin star restaurant on a date with the Lady Eris.” 

She smiled causing her bottom lip to curl outward, making it appear pumper. “We both know I mean Earth.” 

“I am on the run, as you probably suspected, from Asgardian justice.” Loki said, spitting the last two words out. “Earth is the last place they would look.”  
“On the run yet you still have time to date.”

“What is life without a little pleasure?”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“But why aren’t you in Olympus, Really now, and don’t tell me you got tired of the orgies and the endless feasts?”

“If only,” she sighed “after the Great Civil War spilled over into Earth and became the Trojan War, I am no longer trusted throughout all of mighty Olympus. There I am a social pariah, not that my social calendar wasn’t full before. But now I am only called upon when they have need of my skills, failing that I am subjected to lectures on morality from hypocrites. Earth is the one safe place where I am free from all of that. Sad but true.” Eris raised her wine glass with that last statement.

“So you are in hiding?”

“You can call it that if you want.” She said indifferently. 

“But tell me, why did you cause the Civil War?”

“According to my family, I threw a tantrum because I wasn’t invited to some wedding.”

“Well, is that true?”

“Partly,” she smiled bitterly “I just had enough.” She shrugged “I wanted to prove what I could do. I wanted watch the high and mighty ladies brought to their knees, to show all of Olympus how pathetic and shallow they truly were. If you are going to ask if I regret it, I don’t.”  
Loki looked at her face, her jaw was tight and her eyes were practically glowing with conviction. He cast his mine back to what he’d done. What he did revealed his true heritage but how long would it have stayed secret if he hadn’t. How long would he have had to live in Thor’s hulking shadow?

“Seems we do have a lot in common,” he began. She had been so open with him that he felt obliged to do the same. Then he found himself telling her about the ruined coronation, the venture into Jotenheim, the fact he was only just a pawn used to make peace, his brief reign and he fall into the abyss and parts of what inevitably came next. It almost felt good to tell someone, someone who seemed almost to understand. When he was finished he stared blankly down at the white table cloth, unwilling to meet her eyes.  
Eris looked at him; the imposing marble statue she’d met at the bar now looked vulnerable and small. She reached across the table and took his hand in hers. 

“Do you regret falling from grace?” she asked.

His long fingers encircled hers. “No, not now anyway.”

“At least we still have our tricks.” She told him “I would still like you in your finery.”

“I will if you will.” His grin lit up his features. Then the air shifted and shimmered around him, at the same time a thin mist surrounded engulfed her. Within seconds Loki was sat there in his black and green and black leather armor, the golden horns on his helmet glinted in the dim light of the restaurant. He maintained the illusion to the rest of the diners, there was really no need to scare anyone at moment.

“No offence but that helmet looks utterly ridiculous, do you use it to charge at the enemy or is it just for extra height?” She queried. Loki stayed quiet instead opted to simply raise his eyebrows. She really did have an acid tongue. Eris had changed but not drastically. Her hair had become wilder and thicker, barely restrained by a jewel studded crown that also acted as a comb. A matching gold bracelet dug into the flesh of her upper left arm. Her halter neck gown began lilac in colour towards the top and sank into a deeper shade of violet past her golden belt. The skirt of the dress seemed to be almost to float, translucently as if supported by an invisible breeze.

“It’s a shame,” she raised her eyebrows at his comment, “I was rather hoping the rumours about your kind and their hatred clothing were true.”

“Who said it wasn’t.” She smirked. Loki felt her bare foot stroke his inner thigh; even through the thick armor of his trousers the sensation sent an ache through his body. In one breathe she was insulting him and in the next trying to arose him. He found himself almost liking this game.

“Let me show you one of my favourite tricks.”

“Not before we get some more wine I hope.” Loki gestured to a waiter and turned his attention back to Eris.

“Look at the man over there,” He pointed to the corner where a banker type was attempting to butter up the two men in expensive suits. Eris looking at him in mild disgust and wondered why they weren’t in some seedy strip club somewhere. 

“What are you going to do to him?” he eyes shone in bemusement.

“This.” Loki made a gesture with his hand causing snakes erupted from the man’s glass. The man gave a terrified shriek, practically jumped onto his chair. The man’s companions, who seemed unaware of the riving snakes, stared at him in sheer horror before quickly leaving. The man terrified man looked around for the snakes which had long disappeared then up at the faces of the startled dinners. His mouth opening and closing like a startled fish. “Poor puppy.” Eris thought as the man was kindly asked to leave and ushered towards the door.

Loki and Eris looked at each other and started giggling like children.

“I think it’s my turn, look at the couple to your left.” She nodded in their direction. “He’s cheating on her and she knows about it, but doesn’t want to upset the apple cart, so to speak.”

“What are you going to do?”

She didn’t answer but instead grinned and got up from her seat, leaving an image of her disguised self in her seat. She was invisible to the other diners, moving like she was made from vapours till she reached the couple. She bend down to whisper in the woman’s ear. He could feel the power that dripped off her words vibrate around the room. “You saw him look at the arse of that waitress, ogle that woman the bar, look at him. He’s making a fool out of you and you know it, Are you going to let him carry on?”

“No.” the woman said out loud. Her partner looked at her in shock.

“What, babe?”

“No.” she said unsure. “No!” she sounded more confident this time. “I am done! I am done with your cheating! Your lies!” The woman was getting more and more angry and louder. “I am done with you, I want a divorce and I want you out of MY apartment, yes mine! Because I’m the one who pays the bills. I want you out!” She grabbed her bag.  
“But, Sarah I’ve never cheated on you, baby,” he pleaded “I love you.”

“ Bull. Shit” she stood up “If you loved me so much why did I see you with your tongue down another woman’s throat?”

“Baby..”

“Don’t you dare baby me you pig!” she shouted, emptying a glass of red wine down his front, before stalking out of the restaurant. The restaurant was silent yet again and the waiters were already on edge. Break up scenes were hardly new, but a man going berserk and a dramatic break up in the space of ten minutes was something strange. 

“Wow. The power of suggestion.” He said raising a glass to Eris who had long returned to her chair. “Until she actually spoke of it, I didn’t believe he was cheating.”

“Don’t look so impressed, it was just a little suggestion.”

“Stop underrating your skills.”

“Come on that one was easy.”

“If it was so easy then how did you know he was cheating on her? Telepathy maybe?”

“No! I wouldn’t wish that on anyone! I’m just very emphatic to people’s desires.”

“Is it just limited to humans?” he murmured, leaning across the table, towards her.

“Some things are just obvious.” She leaned in herself “Shall we get out of here?” 

“Do you have any ideas?” he asked as he threw a few notes on the table. Curiously Eris did the same, transforming back into her midgardian clothes as she did so. He was slightly  
shocked, he expected her to be the kind of person to run out on a bill.

“I have an idea.” She smiled wickedly, showing off two rows of perfect white teeth. There was something madder than just sex going through her mind.

“I bet you do.” He answered confidently, truth be told he had no idea what she had planned; the concept both scared and excited him.

“Take my hand.” She held her hand out towards him.

“Teleporting to where?” He asked. But she offered no explanation, so obediently he placed his hand in hers. Then the restaurant melted away.


	2. Destroy what destroys you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After causing a bit of mischief in the restaurant, Eris takes Loki to the one place he shouldn't anywhere near

Loki was teleporting by some else’s magic, a feeling he wasn’t used to. They were no longer in the restaurant. They were in nothingness. All he could feel was his hand in Eris’s and hear her softly whispering in an unfamiliar language. That and the sensation that his stomach was in his boots. Thankfully that feeling didn’t last long as he felt the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

“We’re here,” she whispered in his ear, “you can open your eyes now.” 

He wasn’t aware they were shut till he opened them. 

“I’m just not used to tele-“He began but suddenly stopped. His stomach was defiantly stomach was in his boots this time as he looked up at the rest of rebuilt Avenger tower from its balcony.

“WHY. AM. I. HERE?” he spat. Staring down at her smug face filled him with more rage. “Is this your little plan? Huh? Flirt with me then trade me to the men who had me imprisoned in exchange for the All Father knows what!?” 

She made no attempt to answer him. In fact she made no attempt to move.

“Answer me!” He snarled, his face inches from her’s.

“Nobody is home.” She said flatly.

“What?” he asked reeling in disbelief, still too angry to comprehend.

“I said nobody is home” 

“Nobody is home?” he repeated. “So what shall we do now then? Pop back another time when hopefully someone is in? Maybe they'll let us stay for dinner whilst we talk about old times.”

“Are you quite done?” He looked at her in disbelief. “Look we could stay out here all night and you can rant like a lunatic or I can break us into the home of your enemies. Which would you prefer?”

“How?”

“There is more in heaven and Earth than you could possibly dream of in your philosophy, Loki.” She held out her hand and blue sparks began to dance in her palm.

“Magic.”

“Almost, magic AND science.” Loki was intrigued.

“How can you..?”

“A lady has to have some secrets, besides I’ve been on Earth many more times you.” 

He didn’t press the matter any further, he was too curious. Instead he watched her as she dance over to a grey metal box on the side of the building. She tore the metal box open exposing mesh of tangled wires and placed her hand amongst them, letting herself get acquainted with the energy that flowed through them, till she felt she was controlling it. She felt it pulse through her, through its circuit boards till she found what she was looking for. There was a brief clicking noise coming from around the building. To Loki, the clicking seemed a bit of an anti-climax, considering what she had just done was momentous. 

Eris removed her hand from amongst the cables, feeling the energy she had taken on drain from her body, she stumbled back into the grasp of two strong arms.

“Have you just opened every door is this place?” He murmured into her hair.

“What do you think?” She leant back to rest her head against his chest.

“I think you incredible.” 

Eris smiled, choosing to stay, leaning against him for a few moments longer before taking the hand he wrapped around her waist and leading him to the open glass door. “Let’s go inside.”

This place was much as he remembered, still with the extensive bar in the corner and the bland decoration. He was hardly surprised that Stark had rebuilt in the exact same why. He looked over to the spot on the floor were the Hunk had thrown him repeatedly. The memory forced him to break out into a cold sweat.

“Loki,” she murmured, he had gone whiter a shade of his usual pale. “Loki, you know why I brought you here?” She handed him a tumbler of scotch. He took it without moving his gaze from the newly laid floor.

“Why?” He took a sip. “For kicks I’m guessing.”

“Almost certainly,” she cradled her drink against her chest, “But to also help you.”

“Help?”

“Destroy what destroys you. This place is where you were defeated, is it not?” She gestured theatrically to their surroundings with her free hand. “And this place will always hold some painful memories of that unless we do something to change that.”

“By breaking in, when nobody is here.” He answered dryly.

Breaking in is just the beginning, we’re going to desecrate the house of your enemies.”

He laughed softly, moving closer towards her. “This is how you get your kicks.”

She bridged the small gap between them, pulling him down so her face could meet his; she briefly placed her lips against his. She retracted, though only slightly, leaving less than an inch between them. “Defiantly” she sighed. Then her golden eyes locked onto his blue ones. Then the glasses smashed on the floor.

His lips pressed against hers in desperation and she responded, opening her mouth to deepen the kiss, her fingers entwined in his hair in a bit to pull him closer. His hands wrapped around her as if he was trying to do the same. Breathlessly they broke apart and smiled at each other. This time it was her who pulled him in, crushing his mouth against hers. His hands traced the soft satin of her dress, then cupping her buttocks. Eris responded by out a quick gasp of pleasure, wrapping her leg around his thigh. Tangled together, they awkwardly stumbled against the bar. Loki hoisted her up on to the bar sending a few glass bottles flying off and smashing on the floor. She was now the same height as him, her sweaty hands fumbling to undo his buttons. He helped her by shrugging off both his jacket and waistcoat. Although she his tie undone in seconds using it to pull him in for another kiss. He moved his lips from hers, trailing them down to her collar bone where he gnawed neck, his hands roamed across her back desperately searching for a way to get that dress off.

“Need a hand there.” She murmured against his cheek. She leaned away from him, undoing a zipper under her arm.

“I think I can manage from here.” He grabbed the bottom of the dress pulling it up over her head before discarding with his clothes and the broken glass. He paused and looked down at her almost naked in front of him. Her lacy black knickers, the honey coloured expanse of her midriff, her plump breasts, and the way she looked at him through the smudged make-up, the bruised lip and the crumpled hair. She looked like a feast, his cock harden further against his trousers.  
He quickly yanked down her knickers and she undid his belt forcing his trousers down as well, and then he pulled her in closer, trailing his mouth down from her neck to her breasts, her skin burned where he lips touched. He placed his mouth over her already hard nipple. “Loki.” She groaned arching her back.  
As he enters her, she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in deeper. Rocked together against the bar’s counter, each thrust sending a wave of ecstasy through her. She could feel herself coming to orgasm. 

“Oh, Loki!” she cried again, digging her nails into his back, as he cumed inside her. 

“You are fantastic.” He murmured breathlessly. She rested her head against his chest placing a kiss on his collar bone, his cock still inside her. “I know.”  
He chuckled and in turn kissed her hair as he wrapped his arms around her sweating body.

-

Eris woke up to find herself in the arms of the God of Mischief, her head resting against his chest. During the night they must have found one of the many beds located in the tower as they were draped in white bedding. She sleepily titled her head to look at the sleeping god. His face was relaxed, making his sharp features appear softer, almost innocent. She sighed, gently moving out of his arms so not to wake him and padded over the en suite bathroom to clean up. 

Looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, she methodically removed the remains of her make up. Her mind more focused on the night before and the sleeping asgardian in the next room. “Last night had been great.” She thought discovering one of Loki’s love bites on her next, what to do next was the difficult bit. She returned minutes later and walked over to a built in wardrobe, glancing briefly at the Loki’s naked body barely draped in a white bed sheet. She noticed the inflamed scratch marks tracking down in back and smiled to herself.

Loki woke up feeling happy but somewhat foggy headed. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the midmorning light and to the image of Eris, her back to him at the foot of the bed, methodically buttoning up a purple man’s shirt she’d dug out from the wardrobe.

“Planning on loving me and leaving me?” His voice, thick with sleep send a shiver down her spine. She stopped buttoning up the shirt.

“You were asleep, didn’t want to wake you.” She replied flat.

“So now you’ve fucked me you don’t want me, is that it?” His tone was more hurt than angry.

“It’s whatever you want it to be.” She turned to look at him.

“Are you taking that shirt as a trophy? Am I a conquest?” He asked as he moved to sit up.

“Am I not one of yours?”

“Eris,” he sighed throwing himself back down on the bed and rubbing his face with in hands. “I love playing games but stop answering every question with a question.”

“Why?” He opened his eyes in frustration, so he could glare at her. She grinned at him like a child. “What do you propose we do next?”

“I propose you stop acting like a child.”

“Now, who’s acting like a child?” she counted.

He laughed. “ Touché, I propose you come over here.” She obeyed, besides not getting the answer she was looking for. He sat up as she approached and placed his hands on her hips. “I am a prince on the run, you are a princess in hiding. It sounds almost like a fairy tale.”

“Except I am not a princess.” She interjected.

“You are hardy a pheasant. What I am attempting to say is, shall we have a little fun while we’re here? Together?”

“Why not?” she said straddling him, “You are one hell of shag.”

“So we’ll just fuck for ever, then.”

“I certainly won’t complain.” She pushed down on to the bed and straddling him. 

He laughed.” You won’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like a bit of breaking and entering, throwing expensive booze on the floor and sex.
> 
> An attempt at domestic bliss and invasion of privacy to come


	3. Under Lock and Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Eris, the Norse God of Mischief and the Greek Goddess of Chaos had been together for nearly six months drifting across Europe, living in lavish properties they either owned or “acquired”. Eris had an extensive number of properties throughout the planet. Right now she and Loki found themselves in her villa in Greece. Unlike most of her other properties this one was simpler and cosier, to her it seemed to feel more like home than anywhere else

Loki and Eris, the Norse God of Mischief and the Greek Goddess of Chaos had been together for nearly six months drifting across Europe, living in lavish properties they either owned or “acquired”. Eris had an extensive number of properties throughout the planet. Right now she and Loki found themselves in her villa in Greece. Unlike most of her other properties this one was simpler and cosier, to her it seemed to feel more like home than anywhere else. 

Eris looked out on the coastline of the Greek island; the lazy ocean glistening in the sunlight lapped the mountainous cliffs that formed a natural harbour, the little fishing boats bobbling gently on its surface. She thought about how everything had changed since her people came, how it had pretty much stayed the same. The landscape had changed with the changing tide but the people here stayed the same.

“Eris,” Loki called from the other room, bringing her out of her daydream. “What is this?”

“What?” she replied lazily, “You haven’t found some ex-lover in the kitchen cupboard, have you?”

“No.” he replied, she knew a simple reply from him meant he’d found something interesting. She went to go find out what. 

She found him in the living room staring down at a huge mosaic of a circle with arrows spreading out from its centre in all directions. 

“It’s the symbol of chaos.”

“It’s not the symbol, I’m interested in.” Her gut tightened, if he knew what was laid under it. “I can feel power, a strong magic from this spot.” He looked at her expectantly, like she was going to tell him.

“Probably an enchantment I placed on it years ago.” She answered as blasé as possible, “Come on, let’s have lunch.” He looked at her unconvinced, but he dropped it. 

-

Loki had left her to go take care of some business somewhere, truth be told she didn’t really what he was doing, along as he was out the way for her to check her vault. As much as she liked Loki even loved him, she didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him.  
She walked to the centre of the mosaic and drew an oriental dagger from her side and dug it into the tip of her finger causing a droplet of blood, gold in colour to drop onto the centre of the circle. In response the surrounding tiles groaned and dropped to form a stone staircase. Eris descended conjuring a light into the palm of her hand. She reached a corridor where doorways spouted off in numerous directions, creating a labyrinth. She clicked her fingers. A door appeared in a doorway to her left and swung open as if to greet her. Eris smiled to herself and walked into a huge indoor garden.  
The room was hexagonal in shape, each segment holding a raised flower bed, brimming with exotic and bazaar plants, all as deadly as they were beautiful. The room was illuminated by a miniature white star suspended in a circular dome that feed out into space.

Loki watched her; shielded by layers upon layers of enchantments he was invisible to her. He watched her treat the plants as if they were her children. He was seeing another side to the carefree goddess, a side were she was compassionate and tender, a side she’d hidden from him o refused to share. Despite himself, he found himself becoming jealous of some plants as he watched her make her way to the centre of her garden. Unlike the other flowerbeds, this one contained a single apple tree with a single golden apple. Eris reached up and plucked it, causing the tree to quiver. Eris hushed and stroked a limb of tree trying to comfort it. She took the apple and placed it into a plain looking box, replaced the lid which fused the rest the box, leaving no join and effectively making the box a bland cube. Loki moved closer, curious as to what she was going.  
Eris felt something shift in the air around her. Something that shouldn’t be there. She froze, grabbing the dagger from her hip. Loki’s breathe caught in his throat. She couldn’t know he was here, could she? He panicked teleporting into the living room and threw himself into an armchair and pulled down his sleeves down assuming that would hid his guilt. She couldn’t have known it was him. He heard her footsteps up the stone steps.

“So, it is a vault after all.” He quipped

“You knew that, I wouldn’t insult you to pretend otherwise.” She was on edge. “What are you doing back so early?”

“You want rid of me?” He watched her stride over to the kitchen. 

“Just weren’t expecting you back so soon.”

“If you want me to, I’ll leave.” He stood up.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re here I might as well put up with you.” 

“I feel honoured.” 

“Ha! You should be.”

He looked down at the sealed vault under the mosaic. Instead of wondering how he could get back in there without her, he began to feel guilty about spying on her. The feeling settled in his stomach like a rock.

“Are you hungry?” She called from the kitchen.

“Hmm,” He replied, he wasn’t listening. So she picked up a bread roll and threw it at him, hitting him square in the head. 

“What?” He turned to her astonished. 

“I asked you if you were hungry.” She tried to supress a grin but that look on his face was pure gold.

“So, you threw some bread at me.”

“Because you weren’t listening.” She was acting like child, or at least taking her frustration out on him.

“Really?” 

“You’re listening now aren’t you?” He was not going to dignify that with an answer. “Well are you?”

“Am I what? Afraid you’re going to toss more bread at me?”

“Hungry, Loki, are you hungry?” She was holding a bread roll like it was a weapon.

“No I’m fine.” He felt nervous. “Eris, are you alright?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Are you alright? You never ask that.” She turned her attention to aggressively making a sandwich. 

“Eris…”

“What?” She looked up at him. “Damn it.” She’d cut her finger open again on the bread knife.

“Let me look at it.” Loki took her hand in his and inspected her finger. “Your blood is gold.”

“It’s still just blood, Loki.”

“Anyway, I think you’ll live.” He placed her finger to his lips and kissed it.

“Thank you doctor.” She replied sarcastically, making no move to move away from him.

“Eris,” he took the hand he was holding. “You know I would never hurt you.”

Her hand went ridged in his. “Are you trying to make me feel guilty about throwing a roll at you?” She replied flippantly. “If it is, you are really over doing it.” She tried to pull away. He wouldn’t let her.

“You are acting like a lunatic because I saw the entrance to your vault. Am I right?” He waited for no reply, he knew it was about what she sensed in her garden. “So I am here telling you, I would do nothing to hurt you, do you understand?”

She didn’t anything, just stared at him angrily.

“I will be back later.” He declared before disappearing, leaving Eris stood there in the kitchen confused and angry, crushing some leaves she’d brought up from her garden in the hand he hadn’t been holding. Was that a declaration of love or clever manipulation? 

 

Eris got her answer a few days later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't guessed Loki is up to something and it all kicks of next chapter!   
>  Avengers and all.


	4. Things that go bump in the night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something or someone is in the house and they're not friendly.

Eris woke up with a start. It was still the middle of night; Loki was still fast asleep next to her but something had spooked her. Feeling uneasy she grabbed a dagger out of the dressing table and tucked it under her pillow, her hand still on hilt. She rolled over and closed her eyes, but she didn’t fall asleep. She must have like that for a least an hour. Her body began to relax, if anything to relive the cramp in her joints.

Suddenly she was wretched up her hair. Every strand screamed as she was pulled from the bed. She swung wildly with her dagger, hitting nothing but air. Whatever had hold of her threw her into the bedside table like a doll. Her vision narrowed into two white points. A painful throbbing came from her forehead. She groped for her dagger, her vision clouded with blood. A boot collided with her back, she howled in pain as her face it the stone flooring. She closed her eyes and thought of somewhere safe as another boot went to come down on her leg.

The boot never made contact as the bedroom and her attackers melted away.  
-  
When Eris finally opened her eyes, she still half expected the boot to crush her but it never came. Instead she found herself lying on the bathroom floor of another house she owned. 

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Slowly she dragged her aching body up, using the towel rail to pull herself up, her legs like jelly and her back protesting. She pulled open the cabinet on the wall and grabbed a vial of purple liquid. Something she was thankful for bringing from Olympus. Tearing the top off, she downed its content and stumbled into the shower.

For an age she stood there, letting the hot water wash over her, washing away the blood whilst the potion worked it’s magic, repairing her damaged body. She closed her eyes and replayed it again and again in her head. But one image stuck in her head. As she was kicked to the floor she noticed the bed next to her was empty. Where had Loki gone? He was an Asgardian, a race trained practically from birth how to fight. She recalled what he said to her a few days ago. That he promised he would do nothing to hurt her. She felt sick. He may not have been the one trying to beat her to death but he certainly had something to do with the attack. How else would you explain how they got past her barriers and alarms? She remembered the feeling of unease when she was in her vault that day as well and threw up.

She finally climbed out of the shower, no longer feeling broken. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror as she wrapped a towel around herself. Dark patches of bruising still bloomed along her hairline and the middle of her back. But other than that she appeared fine. 

She dried herself and then put on a black pair of jeans and a black vest top and sat back on the large unmade bed. She knew she had to go back there, to see if Loki had managed to get into the vault and get what he was after. If he saw her open it, he would know the only way to get in was to by using her blood and her dagger alone. Then she remembered dropping the dagger as she felt the cut on the forehead. She almost laughed. He had been smart but if he had taken one of her apples it would have been the stupidest thing he’d ever done. Not just for what she was going to do to him when she got him.  
-  
Eris went back to her home but not physically in case her attackers were still her. Her body was still on that unmade bed but she had projected her mind into her Greek villa. Thankfully it was empty but that feeling of thankfulness had vanished when she walked into the living room.

The mosaic that was the entrance to her vault was destroyed. Both the rubble from the floor had the stone steps lay strewn around the room.” Maybe my blood wasn’t enough after all.” She thought bitterly as she entered her now useless vault. She didn’t need to summon the door to her garden; it hung limply from its doorway on a single hinge. She didn’t know if to feel angry or scared.

She apprehensively walked through the doorway. The site made her want to weep. The flowerbeds were destroyed. Although she let the plants grow where ever and how ever they pleased, they were now ripped from the soil, flowers trampled bushed torn in half and trees broken at the stump. 

Loki was going to pay for this. By the Three Fates he was going to suffer.

Eris walked over to where she stored the apples, in boxes on the far wall of the garden. Only one was missing. He was probably too busy murdering her plants to notice the others were full as well. But now she needed to protect what was left. She closed her eyes and started chanting. She was mentally moving the vault, it never really existed under the villa anyway, the entrance acted as a gateway. That done she let her mind float upward till it was hovering over the Greek villa. She looked down on it, perched on the cliff face. She began chanting again, this time the words were more violent. She stopped then clenched her fist; the cliff supporting the building crumbled causing a landslide which took the building with it.

She didn’t say to watch the carnage, she returned to her body and tried to remember where she physically was. Hopefully not too far from where she needed to go next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Loki bad? most probably, I haven't really decided.
> 
> The Three Fates were more powerful that the Gods, they controlled lives and events and were completely inflatable. Thats why Eris is swearing to them.
> 
> Preview of next chapter...  
> Tony Stark emerged from his workshop for the first time in a while. He didn’t know how long exactly and he didn’t fancy asking JARVIS for any specifics. He wandered into the kitchen and paused. Sat at the breakfast bar as an attractive olive skinned woman with a mass of dark hair.


	5. Give the Tin Man his Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the break in and the theft of her golden apples, Eris turns to the only people who could really help her, the Avengers. Although she is a bit pressed for time and her methods are a bit unorthodox.

Tony Stark emerged from his workshop for the first time in a while. He didn’t know how long exactly and he didn’t fancy asking JARVIS for any specifics. He wandered into the kitchen and paused. Sat at the breakfast bar as an attractive olive skinned woman with a mass of dark hair.

“We weren’t supposed to going on a date or something?”

“No, nothing like that, I think we just need to have a chat.” She got down from the breakfast bar and walked towards him. Tony felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise up.

“Ok, if you could just contact Pepper or email me or something, so we can arrange to have this little chat that would be great. Like do it some other time maybe?” She seemed unphased by this; he didn’t really expect her to be. Through the sleep deprivation and the caffeine something occurred to him. “How did you get in here?”

“Ask your friend.” She had stopped two feet away from Tony.

“JARVIS, how did,” he looked at her for her to give her name, of course she said nothing. “uh, how did this woman get in here?”

~What woman, sir?~

He had a sinking feeling. “JARVIS, how many people are in this room right now?”

~My scanners are picking up no one but yourself.~

He looked back to her. “What do you want? I should warn you, I don’t behave when I get kidnapped.”

“Like I said a chat.” She reached forward and put her hand the arc reactor in Tony’s chest, he couldn’t move. “But not just with you, I need you to call your friends.”

-

“Do you know what the hell Stark wants?” Clint asked as he met Steve in the corridor.

“I don’t know.” Steve sighed.

“If it’s for another photo shoot I’m gonna shot him.” Natasha stated.

“Hi guys,” Bruce wandered out of the elevator. “Anyone know why Tony called an emergency meeting?”

“None of us do.” Steve replied as he opened the door to the conference room. He froze. Tony was sat at the head of the table, a woman stood behind him, her left hand resting on his shoulder in her right glowed the arc reactor.

Eris looked at the rest of Avengers in the doorway. The blonde hunk, most likely Captain America, was the blocking the doorway, acting like a human shield for the others. Both the redhead and the shorter blond had handguns trained on her and someone else was hidden behind them.

“Hello.”

“Who are you?” the hunk asked.

“Eris,” her name didn’t ring any bells, that didn’t surprise her. The hunk’s eyes were fixed on Tony. “He’s fine, if that’s what you’re wondering, well as long as I stay in contact with him. So I wouldn’t shoot if I were you.”

“What do you want?”

“I asked Stark to send out a message to you all, so I can talk to you about a common threat we both share.”

“And Stark?” asked the redhead, she still had her gun trained on her.

“Just a precaution, I’ll put it back in when we’re finished.” She said gesturing to the arc reactor in her hand. “Come on sit down.”  
Apprehensively they took seats as far away from her and Tony as possible.

“Come on then, we’re waiting.” Clint muttered.

“Loki,” she took pleasure in seeing Clint pale. “If you knew it or not, Loki escaped from Asgard and has been living in one Earth for a while now.”

“And you know this how?”

She ignored him and continued, “He is planning something, something big and dangerous”

“Planning what exactly?” asked the Captain.

“Not exactly a tea party.”

“How do you know this and how can we trust you?”

Stupid questions were flying left, right and centre, she thought to herself. Didn't they realize she was offering them their enemy's head on a platter?

“I know this because I’ve been living with him till last night…”

“Oh great! An angry ex-girlfriend.” Clint declared.

“I have your team mate’s heart in my hand so I’d shut up if I were you! As I was saying, till last night where he stole something from me. Something that if I don’t get back is going to have disastrous consequences for your planet.” 

“And you’ve come to us because you want it back.” Natasha said, resting her gun on the table. “What does he have of yours exactly?”

“One of my golden apples.”

“An apple, no disrespect but what damage can an apple do?” asked Steve.

“I really have to explain who I am,” she sighed

The door swung open. “My apologies friends, for my tardiness.” Thor strode in “I…” He stared at the woman behind Tony.

“Lady Eris,” Thor placed his hand across his chest and bowed slightly. “I was not expecting to see you here.”

“Prince Thor,” she mimicked his gesture using the hand holding the arc reactor. “Trust me; I am here out of necessity.”

“You two know each other?” Steve asked

“Eris is a member of the Olympian Royal family, on diplomatic visits to her realm I had the pleasure of making her acquaintance.”

“You said Olympian, right?” asked Bruce.

“Yes, I did.”

“And you’re the Norse God of Thunder.”

“Yes, what are you trying to say?”

“In Greek mythology the Gods lived on Olympus and I remember some myth about apples or something. So wouldn’t that make her a Greek Goddess right?”

“Of what?” Clint asked.

“Chaos. The Goddess of Chaos and Strife. Well, that’s what kind used to call me. In reality; I am a powerful magic user from another world, and when I am in the room I refer not to be referred to as “her.”” Bruce closed his eyes and leant back on his chair. “The golden apple which Loki took is of course magic and highly dangerous.”

“How?”

“They drive people mad with the need to possess them; they have torn nations and realms apart. Luckily they are ineffective when they’re in a containment cube, like the one Loki stole, but once removed, they are activate and this one I grew will become very volatile. Much like a bomb.”

“How much damage can this do?”

“Like Nagasaki and Hiroshima combined.”

Steve froze; he remembered hearing how America ended the war in the Pacific.

“So what do you propose we do?” asked the redhead.

“We work together, we get back my apple, you save the world, I get to have my fun with Loki.”

“Lady Eris, I cannot allow you to kill him, he is still my brother whatever he’s done.”

“He stole from me Thor; I do not take that likely. But don’t worry, I won’t kill him. I’ll just make him wish I would. You can have whatever is left.”

Thor stayed silent.

“ I can work with that, but before we discuss this any further can you release Tony?” Steve asked, looking at the pale and sweaty Tony.

“Since you asked nicely, I’ll give the tin man back his heart.” Eris placed the arc reactor back into Tony’s chest. He groaned and slumped against the table.

“Thanks Cap,” he murmured.

“No problem,” Steve answered. “Do you have any idea were Loki could have gone?”

“I have a few, but nothing concrete and I know he has help, that’s why I’m here.”

“He has an army we have the Hulk.” Tony muttered.

“What?” she looked down at him.

“Nothing.”

“If you could give those locations to Romanoff and Barton so they could contact shield, that would be great.”

“No problem, but I have a contact of my own I need to see as well.”

“Eris?” it was Bruce. “How did you remove Tony’s arc reactor without killing him?”

She shrugged. “Magic is the manipulation of energy, simple as that. The energy that powers this” she gestured to the arc reactor “is flowing through me and into Stark, I’m just  
acting as a transducer, making it flow through me to him at a much lower rate.”

“Right,” Bruce looked thoughtful, “Would that mean the apple would give off an energy signal that we could track, it being made from magic or energy?”

“I never thought of it like that. If you could track the energy signature of my magic it would seem possible.”

“So it’s settled, we’re gonna help the crazy bitch who ripped out my arc reactor get back her magic apple and defeat Loki, sounds like fun.” 

Steve ignored Tony, “Clint will contact SHIELD and inform them on the possible situation. If Loki is a threat we are going to need all the information we can get.”

“As long as I’m going after that bastard I’m happy.” Clint muttered.

“Tony, get some rest.” he said looking at bags hanging from Tony’s brown eyes. “Natasha, me and you are going to talk some more with Eris.” Natasha nodded and Steve turned to  
Thor, “Thor can you sit in on it.”

“Of course, I will be glad to act as a mediator.” 

“Lucky me.” Eris muttered.

“Lady Eris, would you care to accompany me?” Thor stood up and offered Eris his arm; she walked over and took it. 

“I’ll be there in minute,” Steve called to them. He grabbed Tony’s arm as he passed. “Can I have a word?”

“Sure cap,” Tony looked down at Steve’s hand on his arm. Steve immediately dropped it.

“I don’t trust her.”

“Really” he replied sarcastically “What’s not trustworthy about breaking in and literally ripping my heart out, then asking us for help?”

Steve smiled. “Yeah, well she made some references that make me think she’s been on Earth awhile.”

“You mean the whole nuclear bomb comment or the bit where she called me a tin man? Maybe she watches old movies and the history channel.”

“Can you run her face through some computer or something?”

“Some computer? Yeah sure.” Steve watched him leave; Tony must have been on knees not to argue with him. But he had other things to worry about like a potential bomb wiping out half the planet and a temperamental goddess alien to deal with. 

-

Natasha led Thor and Eris to the kitchen and took a seat at the breakfast bar, Thor and Eris did the same. Natasha looked at her and noticed the dark patches on her face and bare shoulders; they looked similar to bruising, as well as the rings under her eyes and the sight tremors in hand when she took the cup of coffee Natasha offered her. She had been involved in something violent. Natasha thought of which approach to take with her. 

“How are you?” she asked.

Eris looked at her in surprise, “I’ve been better.”

“That’s to be expected.” Eris looked at her, expecting her to say more. She didn’t. Thor also stayed uncharacteristically quiet, probably because he was sat next to the woman who threatened to torture his brother to the point of death.

Taking a sip of her own coffee she looked at Eris again, “Did he do that to you?” 

Eris looked down at the light brown liquid in her mug, “I’m not sure, I never saw who did it.”

“How do you know he was involved?”

“It happened when we were in bed, one moment he’s next to me, next moment I’m being attacked.”

“My brother is many things but I doubt he would assault you.”

“I doubt chivalry is one of Loki’s few virtues.” Natasha muttered. 

Steve arrived and took a seat around the island breakfast bar. “Can you tell me how Loki came by this golden apple?” The earnest look on his face and those sincere blue eyes made her want to slap him.

“He broke into my vault and stole it.”

“My Lady, the Captain is just trying to find out what lead you here to seek our help.”

“Then the Captain should have phrased the question a bit better.” She replied. Natasha smiled slightly at her remark; she had to hand it to Eris for knowing how to throw an interrogator off.

“Please tell us what happened?”

“Ok,” Eris then proceeded to tell them as slightly edited version of the events being sketchy over locations.

“If my brother really is planning to destroy the Earth what could he possibly gain?”

“He doesn’t know it’s a bomb, why would he? He never stopped to ask.”

“So he’s planning world domination again, by using the apple as what?”

“It drives people mad with desire, people would give up their first born just to look at it. He’ll try using it to control the leaders of nations and the people themselves. That’s my guess anyway.”

“Why?”

“He has a God complex,” answered Natasha.

“Wow, that’s ironic.” Steve said. They all chuckled. “Why haven’t you tried using these apples yourself?”

“I did once, on Olympus. Things got out of hand.” Steve and Natasha looked at her to carry on but it was Thor who picked up the ball.

“Eris threw the apple onto the high table of a wedding, the highest ranking members of royalty were sat there and the apple worked it’s charm, so to speak, and they started arguing over it, and it escalated into a bloody civil war. Which ended with little change to the order of Olympian rule.”

“So your coup failed?”

“It wasn’t a coup as such, I was young and angry and I wanted to watch them tear each other apart.” Eris shrugged.

“According to reports that came to Asgard, the Lady Eris was angry she wasn’t invited to the wedding.”

“You caused a war because you weren’t invited to a wedding?”

“Yes, I did. But it was more the cherry on the cake.” Steve just stared at her in disbelief; this woman caused death and destruction because of a social slight.

“If you love destruction and carnage so much, you not let Loki take the apple and destroy the planet?” Natasha asked.

“He lied to me and stole from me and mostly because I’m a little older and wiser now, and I don’t see the point in destroying a place I actually live in.”

“Why not go back to Olympus?”

“I maybe from there, but it’s not my home.” Thor looked at Eris and thought that’s what his brother must feel about Asgard.

~ Captain Rogers, Agent Romanov, Tony requests your presence in Lab 3 immediately ~ 

“Alright, JARVIS tell him we’re on our way, Thor can you keep Eris company?”

“A beautiful lady? Shouldn’t be much trouble.” Thor replied grinning.

Eris smiled a little at his comment Natasha noted. “Don’t let Jane find out then.”

-

When they entered the lab Tony jumped out at them like an excited puppy. Bruce remained seat at a desk.

“You guys need to see this!” he exclaimed almost bursting with excitement. He’d probably just drank more coffee then actually rested as Steve hoped he would.

“This the thing you ran on her?”

“The thing? Seriously? I know you were frozen for like ever but…”

“Tony, come out with it.” Natasha barked.

“Ok,” he turned his back to them and summoned up a holographic screen. “As you asked Cap, I ran her face through a software recognition programme which searched through  
everything and I mean everything and this is what I found.” He brought a series of photographs in a timeline spanning over a hundred years.

“Is this for real?”

“Yep, look at this one.” Tony enlarged the photo at the beginning of the timeline, “Here she is with the Russian Royal Court before the revolution happened, she’s the one next to the monk guy with the awesome beard.”

“Rasputin.” Bruce clarified.

“Yeah, that guy. But it gets better,” He pulled up another from around the same time, but this time she was stood next to a tall balding man. “ Here she is with Lenin.”

“Do you think she had a hand in causing the Russian Revolution?” Steve asked.

“No idea, we couldn’t find any supporting information or documents.”

“So, we’ve just found out she’s an ageless goddess who has been on Earth a while then.”

“Ah, but it gets even better. She was part of project Manhattan under the alias of Emma Lowe.”

“She helped create the atomic bomb.”

“So did you father, Stark.” Replied Natasha.

“Yeah well, yeah,” Tony gave up trying to justify his father’s work. “but look at these.” Tony brought up a range of photos ranging from the 60s onward. 

Bruce stood up to take over, “Here she is with JFK, we checked the date and this was nowhere near the time of assassination, in fact we found evidence that she helped fund his election campaign under the name of Amelia Von Luchenberg, a Swiss heiress apparently. Turns out she was a socialite in America. But these are the ones we should be concerned about, Tony can you bring the up?”

Tony brought up a series of photos which appeared to be surveillance shots, varying in age as they seemed to span a number of decades. The photos were of Eris or whatever she was calling herself then, having lunch with a man; the only thing that changed was the fashion and the age of the man.

“Who is than man she’s with?” Steve asked.

“The mutant terrorist, Magneto a.k.a Erik Lehnsherr, SHEILD have no pinpoint on his location.” Natasha recalled.

“Is this proof enough not to trust that crazy bitch?” Tony asked.

“Wait as second,” Bruce said taking off his glasses. “I’ve reading up on the Greek mythology thing.”

“And?”

“Well, they seem to give patronage to heroes, like a sponsoring them. I think this is what Eris was doing with Kennedy and possibly Lenin.”

“Explain the Russian Court photo?”

“They were also known for acting as judges, maybe that’s why she supported Lenin?”

“This all seems like speculation to me.” Replied Steve, Bruce just shrugged. 

“But if Bruce is right, she could be helping Magneto.” Natasha stood there with her arms folded, “She mentioned that she had a contact she wanted to talk to.”

“You think she meant Magneto?” Steve looked to Natasha for a reply, he got a shrug.

“What’s then plan then?”

“But if she’s right about Loki and she willing to help capture him-“

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Natasha said.

“Something like that.” Steve left and made and headed back up to the kitchen.

Tony turned to Bruce. “We gonna build this tracker thing or what?”

-

Steve walked out of the elevator to the sound of thunderous laughter.

“And it’s head exploded and there was this gore on everything, I stank for weeks, not a single maiden would even look at me!” 

Sounded like Thor was telling an old battle story. He walked in to see him and Eris leaning against the counter in a fit if laughter. Clint was back and was making coffee. Steve nodded to him.

“Don’t ask me what their talking about.” Clint gestured to the aliens.

Steve walked up to Clint. “What did SHIELD have to say?”

“Some footage was picked up with supposedly Loki’s face recently, mainly towards Eastern Europe. Nothing concrete though. But as soon as I turned up with her story, SHEILD went mental. Should have seen the vein popping out of Fury’s head, is was like.” Clint made a pulsing gesture with is hand to his forehead. 

“What did he have to say?”

“Work with her, but don’t trust her. Pretty much what we were going to do anyway.”

“At least we have evidence he’s on Earth, any possible allies he would have?”

“A list as long as my arm, What about this contact of hers?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out.” He turned to face her and Thor. “Eris,”

She stared at him for a second, “Yes.”

“This contact you mentioned, is he Magneto?”

She looked at him in bemusement, “What Erik? No he’s probably busy at the moment, best not to bug him right now.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

“If we help you give us Magneto?”

“I’m giving you Loki and helping you save the world, you’ll get nothing else.” Her voice had an edge to it.

“He is a terrorist.” Clint exclaimed.

“One man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter, more so when your government is trying to exterminate his people.”

Steve was silent, what she said was true but he couldn’t let her see that.

“So this contact?” Clint said, breaking the silence. “Are we going to meet ‘em anytime soon?”

“You’re coming with me then?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you’ll have to change into something smarter,” she looked down at what she was wearing, “So will I, met you back here in ten minutes?”

“Sure.”

“Hang on here.” Steve argued

“Don’t worry, I’ll look after him.” With that she disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stony forever! and trust me it gets better!  
> Nothing makes me happier than dragging the x men into things, especially the Marvellous Magneto, not necessarily a villain, not really a hero.  
> Also I did try and hint at something to do with the Marvel Civil War Saga, they were subtle, really subtle.  
> Keep reading for some Clint and Natasha, more angst from Steve and some from Tony. Oh and some plot, that too.


	6. The help of a mercenary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint and Eris travel to met Eris's contact who proves to be very useful.

Clint went back to his room and pulled a suit, correction, his only suit from the wardrobe. He heard the door open quietly and the sound of quiet footsteps. He would have only heard her if she let him. 

“Creeping up on me Tash?”

“I heard you’re going with her to meet her contact.” 

Clint started to get changed. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen any it before. “You jealous?”

“No, I just,” She shifted awkwardly from one foot to the another, “I just don’t want to have to punch you in the face again, that’s all.”

“If that’s your way of telling me to stay safe, well it kinda sucks.”

“After what Loki make you do, made you my enemy. I don’t want that to happen again.”

“It won’t.” He shortened the gap between them, “If it does I’ll always have you to drag me back.” She smiled and started tying his tie for him. It could have almost been a scene from Mad Men, the two of them the perfect couple. Well, if you ignored the fact she was a deadly assassin who could easily kill him with that tie. 

She placed her hands against his chest and leant in. “Just be careful,” and with that she left. 

Clint sighed and shrugged on his suit jacket. She was so, well he didn’t know what really.

-

Clint made his way to the kitchen, Steve was scolding, even Thor didn’t try talking to him and the “Lady” Eris was waiting for him, dressed as a wealthy business woman, her mop of hair kind of tided.

“Where the hell are we going?”

“Come and find out.” She held out her hand to him.

He glanced at Steve, he continued to glare at the floor, “Just come back to us, Barton.”

“Sir, yes, sir.” He saluted Captain America.

“Seriously, what do you think I’m going to do to him?”

Clint took her hand. 

“Take a deep breath and hold it.” She told him

-

Clint’s stomach lurked as the floor disappeared then quickly reappeared. He looked around him, he was in the courtyard of some high market office buildings in Britain he guessed from the way that logo spelled colour with a “u”.

“You handled that better than I thought you would.” He looked to see Eris regarding him with a quizzical expression. “Hand me your hand again.” She ordered.

“Why?”

“Only a binding spell, to protect my contact.”

He just stared at her. Eris rolled her eyes impatiently. “Really, it’s to prevent you from revealing his name, and this location, it wouldn’t hurt or turn you into a zombie or my sex slave. I don’t think the redhead would like that.”

“You know she’ll hunt you down and find a way to kill you, painfully?”

“That’s why you’re going to be fine.”

Clint begrudgingly gave her his hand again and she muttered an enchantment. Clint felt an invisible rope tighten around his arm up towards his throat, then suddenly release.  
“There we go, any urge to eat brains?” It was Clint’s turn to roll his eyes. “Come on.” He followed her into the nearest building. She walked past the guard, Clint noticed he was packing heat, something that was illegal in Britain, and straight up to the petite secretary behind an enormous desk.

“I have an appointment to see Mr. Rees.”

“And can I take your name?” the girl asked.

“Certainly, it’s Cecilia Discordia.”

“Well, Ms Discordia, Mr. Ares is still in a meeting at the moment, if you’d like to take a seat for now.”

“Thank you.” Eris replied, Clint followed her to a faux leather sofa, feeling a bit like a lap dog.

“Who are we seeing exactly?”

“The CEO.”

“You’re contact is the head of a global security firm?”

“Yes.”

“Ha, not bad.”

The two sat there in silence for a bit. Clint watched her tap her fingers on her knee repeatedly, a nervous twitch. 

Finally, a male PA led them up to an enormous office and abandoned them there, promising Mr. Ares, whoever the hell he was, would be there shortly. The place was open planned, although Clint noticed the glass walls were bullet proof and fixed with automatic steel stutters. The room itself was dominated by an uncomfortable, fancy leather sofa and an elaborate oak desk with a huge circular, Grecian shield behind it. The shield was decorated with images of war and the huge faces of two boys and two women, equally spaced around the shield. Eris noticed he was looking and leant towards him.

“The woman’s face on the left is mine.” He looked at her and then the shield; he couldn’t see a resemblance at all. “The woman on the right is my sister, and the two boys are my nephews.” She continued.

What the hell had he got himself into?

A mountain of a man emerged into view. “Eris!” he called.

“Ares!” she called as the man mountain pulled her off her feet and into a bear hug. The man, Aries was huge, a similar height to Thor but more muscular, his huge forearms threatened to burst out of his suit jacket. Clint’s hand hovered over his concealed gun.

“Ares, this is Clint Barton. He’s my escort for this trip.” Aries studied Clint with a pair of intense dark brown eyes. Clint could see the family resemblance, the same skin tone, similar noses although his appeared to be broken in several places and the same hair colour, although his hair and beard we cut short.

“So you’re fucking my little sister.” It was an accusation not a question. 

“Uhh..” Clint stuttered.

“Of course not!” Eris exclaimed, “Ignore him, he’s just trying to intimidate you.” She told Clint. “Clint is one of the avengers, the one with the arrows.” She told Aries.

“Ah, you’re Hawkeye!” Aries exclaimed shaking Clint’s hand. “You are one hell of archer!”

“Thanks.”

“Sorry about that, A few months ago my sister told me she was dating someone, although she wouldn’t say who or introduce us.” Ares shot an accusing look at his sister.

“Were you able to get the information?” Eris quickly changed the subject.

“Did you doubt me?”

“Of course not, brother. I just wanted you to stop talking.”

“Ha! I do miss you, Eris. I’ve got it on the desk; loaded onto the tablet.”

Eris walked over to the desk.

“So, what are you the God of then?” Clint asked him. Ares turned to look at him. “You know she’s the Goddess of Chaos and all.”

“I’m the God of War, running a million dollar private security company.” He replied, “She put a binding spell on you?”

“Yeah, she did.”

“Ha! She’s a smart girl when she wants to be.” Ares winked at Clint. “Come on then, I’ll give you some compensation.” Aries grinned and walked over to the bookcase. This guy’s  
personality was bigger than his build, Clint thought, kind of like Thor. 

Ares pulled out a book causing the bookcase to slide out of the way to reveal some kind of armoury. It was like something from an episode of Scooby-doo. Ares picked up a high tech bow.

“Here,” he tossed it at Clint. “Light, but sturdy and it can collapsible, just pressed the button in the centre.” Clint pressed it and the bow folded in on itself till Clint was left with a short baton. 

“Impressive,” Clint murmured, pressing the button again, causing it to fold out again. He drew the bow string back and lined it up. It was one amazing bow, probably the best he’d ever held. “This is fantastic.” He looked back at Ares, who was wearing a pleased grin. “Why are you giving this to me?” 

Aries walked up to Clint and murmured. “I know why Eris needs that information, and I know what danger this planet is in if you don’t help her get it.”

“You’re a mercenary, war is money.”

“Not everything is about profit, Hawkeye.” Aries’ tone became graver, “I have a family here and if anything were to endanger them…well I don’t know what I’ll do. And that’s why  
I’m trying to help you in any way I can.” 

Aries’ words settled like a stone in Clint’s chest. If the God of War was worried then the shit was about to hit the fan. 

“Ares, you still have my puppies?” Eris called, walking over from the desk, “Nice toy, Clint.” She glanced at the bow.

“Just giving Hawkeye some help.” Ares turned back to the armoury behind the bookcase.

“Getting generous in your old age.” She quipped.

“At least I’m not getting careless.” He retorted. Clint saw Eris’s face turn to stone. “Here, we go.” He handed her a small clay jar. “Hawkeye can I have a work with my sister?”

“Sure, can I have the tablet?” Eris wordlessly handed it to him without looking at him and waited till he was out of earshot.

“Are you going to scold me, brother?” She asked.

“I’d prefer to slap some sense into you, what the hell do you think you were doing?” Eris stared back at him; anything clever she had to say wouldn’t work on Ares. “Don’t you dare tell me you loved him! That’s a piss poor excuse! Fucking Loki! The fallen Agardian nutcase! I know you’re a sucker for revolutionaries but this is fucking ridiculous!”

“Ha! You believe me to be that stupid! You’d really think I’d trust a man like him and that I’d swoon when some man declares his undying love to me?!” She said those words as if they left a bad taste in her mouth. “He tore my vault apart trying to get into it! He beat me half to death before he could get near it.” She spat at him.

“He beat you?” Aries asked flatly, Eris regretted telling him that now. This was her problem, not his.

“I’m not sure it was him, I didn’t see his face.”

“If he so much as laid a hand on you, I will take the fucking cunt’s head and use it as a fucking hood ordainment.”

“Oh I’d bet they’d love seeing you drive around Manchester with a fucking head on your Bentley. It’s MY fucking problem and you have too much at stake here.” She glanced at Clint as he stared at the tablet. “Besides I want deal with Loki in my own way.”

“What will you do?”

“Cut out the bastard’s tongue.” Ares stared at his little sister’s determined expression.

“Good luck then, sister. You’ll need this.” He presented her with a long, rectangular box. She already knew what was inside. 

“Thank you.” She turned away and headed towards the lift, flanked by Clint.

Clint had heard the whole exchange between the siblings as he flicked through the grainy satellite photos and pretended not to hear. It made him wonder how many aliens were living on Earth. Then he thought unless they were trying to take over the Earth or destroy it, why should he care?

“How come we didn’t just teleport right into his office?” he asked her as they exited the office buildings.

“Because I can’t.” She snapped. Clint raised an eyebrow, and Eris saw this was his way of asking for more information, she sighed. “I made the building teleportation proof, not me or anyone else who can teleport can’t get in there. Hence why we used the front door.” She held her hand out to him and he took it.

-

Steve paced up and down the kitchen. He felt anxious about sending Clint with Eris, not that he didn’t trust Clint to look after himself, it was just Eris was a lit fire cracker about to go off.

“Calm down Steve, there is not much you can do now.” Thor told him.

“You didn’t just send one of your men off with a mad woman.”

“No, but my brother is yet again trying to take over Midgard. Not to mention he has possession of magic he cannot control.” Thor stood up from his chair, “And as I remember, Barton volunteered to escort Lady Eris.”

“Sorry, Thor. I, I just don’t trust her.”

“No one on her home planet trusts her, so you are in good company. I assume that is why she is living here.”

“You said she was a member of the royal family on Olympus, right?”

“Yes it did, but when she came here, either through banishment or hiding she gave that up.”

“So she’s not ambitious, she’s just helping us to get to Loki then.”

“I will ensure she doesn’t lay a hand on my brother, for all his crimes he is still my kin.”

“That’s noble of you.”

“He is my brother, I owe him that much.” Steve looked at the sadness in Thor’s eyes, that suddenly went clear. “Now Rogers, I retire to my quarters, if you have need of me that’s  
where I’ll be.”

Steve watched Thor walk out of the kitchen. A thought occurred to him. “JARVIS has Tony had any sleep since the woman arrived?”

As a matter of fact, Mr. Stark has been asleep since you and Agent Romanoff left the lab. Would you like me to wake him?

“No JARVIS, that’s fine.” Steve smiled to himself. The world was under threat, a possible weapon was in the hands of a psychotic alien and he had another psychotic alien as a possible ally to deal with and still he was stood there worrying about Tony. Tony the impulsive, alcoholic, smart mouthed, narcissistic hero. Why the hell was he feeling like this? 

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Whatever it was it was going to have to wait.

-

Two hours after they left, Clint and Eris rematerialized in the kitchen. The two of them clutching an assortment of random junk. Well, that’s what it looked like to Bruce who was making a sandwich. 

“You two back already?” he called.

“Why? Were you missing me that much?” Clint replied.

Bruce snorted.

“Did you unearth anything useful?” Natasha asked as she walked up to Clint. 

“Look at this,” He led her to the kitchen table and showed her the tablet. “This image here.” Clint zoomed in on a section of the photo and showed it to her.

“Is that who I think it is?”

“I’m not sure, but if that’s who it might be there is a whole lot more at stake.”

“We’re going to have to show to Fury.”

“He’s gonna flip.”

She shrugged. “I’ll tell him then.”

“I’m not scared of him, I’m just saying that he might have that massive aneurism he’s been heading for.”

She touched his face. “Don’t worry, I believe you.” She took the tablet off him and sashayed away. He sighed and followed him.

-

Bruce looked at Eris, she was leaning against the work top clutching a small clay pot. Her face was grey and her breathing was irregular. 

“Are you alright?” He asked her moving to her side.

“No, I’m… feeling just a bit… just a bit drained.” She looked at Bruce. “Teleporting long distances is… draining.” She tried to straighten herself up but ended up slumping against  
Bruce. He put his arm against her to try and steady her.

“Is everything alright?” Steve asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“Just peachy.” Eris retorted. Steve looked to Bruce for an actual explanation.

“Magic overuse apparently,” Steve just looked at him blankly, so he went on. “Teleportation and whatever else she’s done magic wise has drained her physically.”

“Ok.”

“Is there anywhere I can rest, tall, red, white and blue?” 

Steve ignored her, “Right, I’ll take her to one of the spare rooms.” He told Bruce.

“Still in the room.” She called out, her eyes shut and her head lolling against Bruce’s shoulder.

“Can you walk?” He asked her.

“I’ll probably need a hand.” She told him.

Steve wordlessly put his arm around her waist as she put her arm around his waist and pulled her off Bruce. He looked at Steve gratefully. Steve nodded in rely before he half dragged the Goddess of Chaos to the lift.

-

In the lift, he lent Eris up against the wall as he pressed the floor number on the panel and then stood in the centre of the lift.

“You really don’t like me, do you?” she asked him.

“It’s not a question of like, ma’am.” He replied. Eris noticed he was going into the automatic solider mode. She couldn’t resist pressing his button. esspically on someone who seemed so slight laced as he was.

“Is it because you are a solider and I represent chaos, a disruption to your orderly and controlled lift?”

“My life is far from controlled, ma’am.”

“But you try to be though, the calm in the centre of the storm right? The leader everyone can look to.” She looked at Steve who didn’t respond. “But then the country where you take your name from is far from that, isn’t. Slaverly, genocide on one that one occasion, the oppression of others. Does that say something about you?”

“Look!” He slammed his arm on the lift wall above her head, she didn’t even flinch. “I work for the good of this planet. To make the future a better place for everyone. To stop people like your boyfriend from destroying and taking the lives of innocents, regardless of if their American or not.”

She stared at him, watching the anger dance across his face. “You’re an idealist then. An idealistic solider.” She seemed to chew the words around her mouth. “Idealists are dangerous men. Believe me, I’ve known a few. They bring down empires, destroy regimes and led men to their deaths.” 

Steve didn’t move, he was trying to process what she words. She was goading him.

“You remind me of Achilles,” She continued, she voice took on a note of sadness, “His mother dipped him in the fires of the Styx, so he was invincible everywhere apart from his ankle which his mother held as she dipped him in the river. Just make sure no one gets to your Achilles’ heel.”

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

"Nothing." she murmured against the lift wall.

Steve exhaled, annoyed. He had no idea what her game was but he sure as hell wasn't going to play it.

“Come on.” He helped her up and half carried her to the nearest empty bedroom and dropped her on the bed and she kicked off her heels. “Tony and Bruce are going to want to see you in the lab at some point.”

His reply was something muffled into a pillow, so he left her to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More action to come...


	7. I'll blow your mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bromancing, shape shifting, explosions and coffee.  
> A typical day in the Avenger Towers.

“Eris.” A voice beckoned.

She felt a finger trace along her jawbone.

“Eris, my love.” It called again.

Her eyelids fluttered open to see Loki led next to her; his cold blue eyes stared at her with adoration. 

“How long have you been watching me?”

He grinned at her.

“Urgh! You creep!” she smiled back; her voice was free from any venom.

“You know me so well.” He laughed grabbing hold of her and pulling her on top of him. 

She giggled. “Loki.” She pulled herself up to reach his face. Their faces barely touching.

“I love you.” He told her as he placed his lips on hers. Something felt wrong. Eris jerked away from him. Everything was wrong. The feel of his lips, the blue in his eyes, the fact he  
said he loved her. She knew Loki and this wasn’t him.

“What’s wrong?” the imposter asked. 

Eris looked her, she was in a bed in a room that was somewhere between familiar and strange. She was in her sub conscious or someone else’s.

“Let’s skip the wet dreams, I prefer it when I’m the one creating the fantasy, the one with the riding crop so to speak.”

The image of Loki looked almost surprised. 

“Who are you? Really, I know you’re not the Loki.”

“Was I really that bad?”

“I’ll give you bonus points for effort.”

The Loki ignored her, “Since there’s no need for theatrics.” The bed rived and shook around her, trapping Eris and stopping her from moving. “Tell me how to open the box.”

“What box?” she replied innocently. The sheets tightened around her, forcing the air out of her lungs.

“Don’t.” The fake Loki told her. “Now tell me how I can get the box open.”

“Why?” The sheets tightened again.

“Tell me!” they demanded.

Eris laughed. “All this trouble and you can’t get to it!” She continued laughing as the sheets started choking her again. “Loki, or whoever you are, you are wasting your time! Let me  
go and give me back what’s mine.” 

“No!” 

Eris saw the image of Loki blurred for a split second. She smiled. “Oh, what are you going to do then?”

“Not what I’m going to do, what are you going to do. You are going to tell me exactly what I need to do.”

“By torturing me? Remember, whoever you are, this is the dream world.”

“Which I control!”

“You can’t control the raw sub-conscious,” the sheets feel from around her. The Loki looked worried. “It’s pure chaos.” She purred. She walked towards the Loki, her hands glowing. The Loki threw something on the ground and everything fell away.

-

Eris bolted upright in bed. Something moved in the corner of her eye. She threw a knife at it.

“You missed.” It was Natasha. Eris looked up to see her knife wedged into the wall two inches away from Natasha’s head.

“What are you doing in here?”

Natasha looked at the pile of clothes and a pair of lace up boots. “It’s hard to fight in heals.”

Eris moved on the bed. “That’s not the only reason you’re here.” She stated

Natasha sat on the bed, mimicking Eris’s movements. “I wanted to see if you were ok.”

Eris raised an eyebrow. 

"If you need anyone to talk to you know where I am." Natasha tried to sound earnest. Hopefully Eris would pick up on that and let her be her confidant. 

Eris found it refreshing not being interrogated for once.“Loki is not working alone for definite.”

“Anyone you could identify?”

“A magic user of some sort. They invaded my sub-conscious when I was asleep, posing as Loki.”

“How did you know it wasn’t him?” 

“Believe me, I know Loki.” Natasha smirked at that, despite the idea of physically being close to Loki made her stomach churn. “His partner isn’t a telepath or they would already have what they wanted already.”

“What did they what?”

“What do you think?” She said sarcastically, grabbing a black vest top from the pile Natasha brought in. “How to open the containment box the apple is in.” She started getting changed.

“They didn’t find out, I’m guessing.” 

“Of course they didn’t,” Eris smiled. “the idiot thought they were in control.”

“And you showed them they weren’t.” Eris smiled at Natasha. “By the way, Stark wants you in the lab, ASAP.”

“Then I’ll have time for breakfast.” This time Natasha smiled genuinely. I wasn’t that she didn’t like Stark but he was a dick sometimes.

-

“Ah! Princess, you finally decided to join us!” Tony exclaimed as Eris walked into the lab.

“It’s frustrating when someone does that to you. Right Tony?” Pepper asked as she walked passed him. Tony narrowed his eyes at her. “Hi, I’m Pepper,” She offered Eris her hand.

Eris shook it. “I’ve heard of you, one of the most successful CEOs Stark Industries has ever seen.”

Pepper blushed. “Well…”

“Don’t be humble, you put up with him.” Eris nodded in Tony’s direction.

“That I do. Now I really must get going, I have this crazy schedule today.”

“That’s no problem; it was nice to meet you.”

“Bye,” she turned her to Tony. “Bye Tony.” Pepper turned on her heels and left the lab.

He waited till Pepper had left, then he turned to face Eris and her holier than thou expression. “See the princess finally decided to turn up. And stay away from Peeper.” Tony’s lip sneered as he spoke.

“I can see you haven’t forgiven me for what happened earlier.” Eris knew he hadn't, part of her didn't blame him.

“Yeah, like you’re actually sorry.” Tony wandered over to the workbench, “By the way, is there like a thing where all you alien gods speak like you part of the British Royal family, like you know Wills and Kate?”

“Probably because we are all members of A royal family, genius.” Tony’s lip twitched in response. She looked over at the helmet on the other desk, a deep gouge in the right eye slot. “Is that why you wanted me down here?”

“Okay.” Tony rubbed the back of his neck. “Need your energy signature to find your magic fruit.”

“Okay, how?” Eris looked at him, he looked exhausted, and pissed off.

“Do some magic and shit and this,” he patted a metal box “will measure the signature it and we’ll use it to match with the energy given off by the magic banana.”

“It's an apple.”

“So, Princess?”

“You know I wasn’t going to kill you, with the whole taking your heart out your chest? I just needed to talk to the avengers as quickly as possible.”

“Sure didn’t feel like it, Princess.”

“Stop calling me princess, Stark.” She warned

“Why? It’s what you are.” Tony quipped, sounding more than a bit like a child.

Eris sighed, “It what my father calls me or he used to.” Eris folded her arms across her chest and examined the floor. 

“At least your father gave a shit.” Tony bit back, annoyed at how hurt she looked. He’d had enough of people blaming their past for being assholes.

Eris snorted. “Gave a shit!? I knew Howard and he was actually a good man, something you don't find in this line of work." She let those words sink in. "My father spent most his time fucking anything which moved and ignoring his wife, MY mother. And the rest of it simply being a fucking prick.” Eris took a deep breathe, she had known Howard and he wasn’t a bad man, especially compared to the high and mighty Zeus. “Do you know how many half brothers and sisters I have? How humiliated my mother was every time he introduced some glorious little bastard to court?” She took a step towards Tony, he didn’t move and Eris looked into his hazel eyes. “Now will you stop calling me princess.”

“Daddy issues. It’s practically a requirement to save the world.” Eris's mouth quirked up slightly

“That and magic powers and luckily a ton of money.”

Tony grinned at her, still she knew she was far from forgiven. “Yeah, that really does help.”

“Hi guys.” Bruce called as he walked into the lab, “I’m not interrupting anything?”

“I’m just about to do some magic and shit, so you’re just in time.” she said to him and Tony laughed. 

“Okay.”

“Ready?”

“Just a sec, JARVIS turns on the radiation containers.”

“The what?” Eris exclaimed.

“Don’t worry.” Bruce mouthed. “I’ll man the machine then Tony if you want to get the monitor.”

“Sure thing,” Tony wandered over to a flat screen. “Dummy on stand-by.” A robot like the ones that build cars moved closer to Eris, she regarded it with a wary look. “Eris, do your thing.”

Eris breathed deeply and summoned the energy from her surroundings, concentrating it into a single point. She closed her eyes and sculpted the energy with her mind. She opened her eyes to see a perfect scarlet lily floating mid-air. Bruce and Tony stared at her bug eyed. But then sparks started spitting out of the box, followed by a huge waft of black smoke.

“Damn!” Bruce shouted jumping away from the work bench.

“Shit, SHIT!!”

The machine Tony called Dummy rolled up the bench and showed in it foam.

“You blew my machine up!” Tony accused.

Eris shrugged then she picked up the lily off the floor.

Bruce laughed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “That was pretty amazing, you created an organism out of nothing!”

“It’s a party trick,” She handed the lily to Bruce, “If you put it into water it should live for the next few weeks or so.”

“Thanks,” Bruce went to hunt down an empty coffee cup to fill with water. “Tony, I think she overloaded it, blew the sensors to hell”

“That’s what happens when you underestimate me.” 

“Will not be doing that again.” Tony took the metal frame off the box to expose the charred remains of circuit boards and melted wires. 

“Need a hand?”

“Yeah, hand him that screwdriver.” Bruce said, hiding a smirk, nodding to the screwdriver on the bench next to her. Eris picked it up and offered it to Tony.

“I don’t like being handed things.” Tony looked at the screwdriver as if it was a poisonous snake.

“Seriously?” Eris raised her eyebrow at him.

“Seriously.”

“Then catch.” Eris threw it at him and Tony fumbled to catch it.

“Hey!”

“What? You wouldn’t take it.”

Bruce sniggered.

“Stop it, thought we were bros!” Tony exclaimed. “And now you’re on her side!”

“Sorry bro, you had it coming.” This time Eris giggled.

Tony huffed and tried to wipe the bench dry.

After about ten minutes of tinkering with it, Tony turned to Eris who had perched herself on a nearby work bench and was fiddling with a piece of tech he had been working on. She was hot, no doubting that but fucking nuts. What did Loki see in her? A kindred crazy alien? No harm in him asking.

“What was the sex like with Loki?”

“Pardon?” Eris put down the circuitry and turned to him. Bruce shrank back behind the screen, where he had been trying to retrieve some data.

“You know, sex with Loki, he seems like he’s be into, you know.”

“No, I don’t know.” She replied innocently, she knew full well what he was hinting at.

“He just seemed like he’d like the freaky stuff.”

A broad grin spread across her face. “Like you wouldn’t imagine.”

“Would I?” Tony smirked.

“Well, you might. We’re both magic users, so it wasn’t just…” she trailed off, teasing him.

“Just want?” He asked.

“She leaned towards Tony and whispered, “We weren’t always the same gender.”

Tony looked at her confused as he watched a thin mist engulf her. Bruce stared from behind the screen and reached for his phone. In her place sat a man, lean but muscular, his  
jaw was angular and he was clean shaven apart from a mane of unruly black hair and a pair of dark bushy eyebrows. From under the bushy eyebrows a pair of golden eyes shone at Tony.

So this was Eris as a guy, he thought. He still had a female Eris’ plump lips and those eyes seemed to be searing his flesh. Tony swallowed hard.  
“So are we talking guy on guy? Loki as a woman? Girl on girl?”

“All of the above.” Male Eris replied in a deep voice, Tony half expected to hear Eris’s woman’s voice.

“That sounds awesome.”

Male Eris smile before turning back into her normal form. She could see the desire in him almost double when she took her male form. Most likely because of the endless possibilities she had shown him.

“By the way this thing isn’t going to work unless you re-route the power distribution.” She held up the strange looking metal object she’d been playing with.  
Tony came over to her and looked at it. He had trouble getting the enough power to the boosters, that’s what caused him to spend the last few days in the workshop. Could the answer really be that simple? It was. 

“Yeah, I knew that, I was gonna sort it then you kinda turned up and ripped my heart out.”

“I gave it back.” Eris held her hand out for him to give it back to her. He purposely placed it on the other work bench. 

“Stay away from my stuff.” He told her as he turned his back to her.

Stark was such a child, then again his father hadn’t been much better, she thought. She sighed and stared at the tools fixed to wall, trying not to think of Loki as a woman or Loki as anything but bloody and broken.

-

Clint’s phone beeped in his pocket.

Fury glared at him from across the table. “Are you gonna answer that?” It wasn’t a question it was a demand.

Clint pulled his phone out and unlocked the screen. “It’s from Banner; he’s in the lab with Stark and Eris.”

“And?” He always knew they were more.

“Apparently Eris can shape shift, she turned into a guy, well a guy version of herself in the lab.”

“So she’s a shape shifter.” Natasha confirmed. “Doesn’t that make her more of an asset?”

“When she’s on our side yes but she goes against us.”

“Will she?” Natasha asked “She’s been living under the radar for a century maybe more, she said she only came to us because we stopped Loki before.”

“Eris has also been stock piling weapons of mass destruction, which got into the wrong hands.”

“I doubt we have the power or the resources to contain an entity such as Eris, plus we have no relations what so ever with her home world. Imprisoning her could bring an invading army.” Maria Hill stated.

“Okay, its agreed we keep the Alien happy and on our side.” Director Fury, he looked expectantly at Clint and Natasha, “Anything else to report?”

“According to Eris, she was visited in a dream by another magic user posing as Loki, they apparently demanded to know how to open the box than contains the apple. This means we have more time to locate it.”

“That buys us some extra time, Clint what can you tell us about Eris’s contact?”

“They are not a threat, not by a long shot.” Fury looked at him expectantly. “I can’t reveal anymore.” He felt Natasha look at him puzzled. “This is the intel I got from them.” He pushed the tablet towards Maria and Fury and watched as they scanned through the images.

“Look at this one.” Natasha took the tablet at enhanced the photo Clint had showed her.

“Is that who I think it is?” Fury asked, his one eye bulging.

“Without further enhancement we can’t be sure.” Maria told him. “But if it is him.”

“If that is Victor von Doom, we need to shut him and Loki down as quickly as possible.” Fury looked around the table at his agents. “Hill, I want all the intel on Doom’s last known whereabouts and cross reference them with what we know of Loki and what is on this tablet.” He handed the tablet to her and she nodded in response. “I want you two to keep eyes on the Alien and prepare that others for what we are up against.” Clint and Natasha nodded in unison and rose to leave the table.  
In the corridor Natasha grabbed Clint’s arm.

“Hey!” he called out.

“Why are you protecting her contact?” she asked, good old Natasha, never beating around the bush.

“She asked me to.”

“So it’s not just because they gave you a new toy.” She was referring to his new bow.

“It’s because I have to, you and I both know SHIELD aren’t as white as white.” He knew he couldn’t physically tell Natasha the truth, even if he wanted to.

Her features hardened for a moment. “That was nice of you.”

“Nice had nothing to do with it.” Natasha arched her eyebrow at this. “I was going the right thing for once.” He sighed.

Natasha took his hand in hers for a second, her soft fingers rubbed the callouses on his. He looked at her and he knew she’d drop it and decide to trust him. He just hoped that trust wasn’t misplaced.

"How's the whole BBF routue going with Eris?"

"She doesn't trust me, but she is confiding in me." 

"So I'm not going to find you two doing each other's nails and talking about boys."

Natasha looked up at him and raised both her eyebrows, silently saying "Seriously."

-

The machine gave a trumpet beeping sound.

“We have it!” Tony shouted, high fiving Bruce.

“At last.” Eris sighed, handing another lily to Bruce, this time it was blue. There was nearly a whole bouquet sticking out of a discarded coffee cup.

“Not exactly,” Bruce told her, “ We need to virtually scan the globe looking for a similar signature.”

“Have you tried cross referencing them with SHIELD’s information and I’ve given them.”

“Already on it.” Tony said, Eris looked at him. “I have SHIELD’s data already uploaded.” He explained.  
“Hacked is a better word for it.” Bruce corrected.

“Yeah, but that sounds bad.”

“And you don’t want to do anything bad, do you?”

“I’m a superhero, people look up to me.”

“The poor misguided fools.” Chimed Eris.

“Hey, you can’t talk!” Tony pointed an accusing finger at her, “You were worshiped!”

“What can I say, who doesn’t want a cow sacrificed in their honour?”

“Vegetarians.” Tony answered.

“Don’t forget the vegans.” Bruce pointed out.

“Do you two have an answer for everything?” Eris asked.

“No, we just find it.”

“That’s science baby!” hollered Tony.

Eris laughed.

After a few moments of silence she asked, “What now?”

“We wait.” Bruce replied. “It will tell us when we find anything.”

“Yeah, it makes the shit scary sound. Till then I’m gonna reroute the power distribution.” Tony held up the gadget Eris was playing with earlier.

“Okay, in that case I think I’ll get myself a cup of coffee.” Eris headed towards the lab doors.

“Hold up, I’ll come with you.” Bruce picked up the flowers in their makeshift vase. “I wanna put these somewhere they won’t get wreaked.”

Eris smiled as she held the door open for him. 

“Should I ask what was going on when I can in?”

“No.” she replied flatly.

“Kay.” He looked like a kicked puppy and Eris felt guilty. He did seem to be trying to help her in the conference room.

“We were just talking.” 

"About the whole...?" Bruce made a gesture to his chest.

“Sort of.”

“I was meaning to ask you, Are all they stories true? You know the myths and legends?”

Eris laughed, almost relieved. “Some are more accurate than others, but there is a bit of truth in all of them.”

“Got any examples?”

“Oh where’s the fun in that?”

“That’s cruel.” Bruce joked.

“Well, I wasn’t known for my mercy." she chuckled>

-

“Lady Eris!” Eris turned to see Thor walking towards her, still wearing his Asgardian clothes.

“Prince Thor, how are you?”

“I need to have a word with you.”

“Okay.”

“In private.” He led Eris out onto the balcony. Eris already knew what this was about.

“What is it, Thor?”

“My brother, Eris.” Thor didn’t look at her, instead he gazed out onto the New York skyline. “He had done some terrible things but I cannot allow you to kill him.” “I didn’t say I was going to kill him.”

“You might as well have said so, I will not allow you to torture my brother, he will face Asgardian justice for his crimes.”

“Didn’t you try that last time and he somehow got away?” Eris saw Thor’s jaw clench.

“It will not happen again, he will be punished.”

“But as a member of the royal family he will not be executed for his crimes.”

“No, he will not, but.” Thor sighed, “Eris my brother may not be fully in control of his situation, like you said you’re not sure he’s the one who attacked you.”

“You really are grasping at straws here.”

“What else am I to do? I let him fall.” Eris placed her hand on Thor’s shoulder to comfort him.

“He fell by his own hand.”

“Thank you Eris, although it makes no difference to how I feel.” Thor turned to look at her. “How do you know about Loki’s fall? My brother rarely took anyone into his confidence.”

Eris shrugged.

“He must care about you.” Eris felt a cold hand grab hold of her heart as Thor uttered those words.

“How can you say that when my home was broken into and I was beaten half to death, by his command most likely.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“Yes, but he was defiantly involved.”

“It seems that way.” Thor paused then smiled at Eris, “Maybe you would have been my little sister if events had been different.”

“I already have a big brother and already have enough siblings to be worrying about.” She turned to look at Thor, he was grinning. She felt like an idiot. “You were suggesting me and Loki getting married weren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Thor, are you trying to suggest I shouldn't kill Loki, I should marry him instead?"

“I was.." he made a defeated face. "Yes, I was."

“You are not as silver tongued as you brother, that is for sure." She looked up at Thor, “I promise I will not kill your brother.”

“Not to insult you but your word is not binding.”

Eris was waiting for this. “Then you’re either going to have to trust me or try and stop.”

“By the All Father I will, Eris.”

“At last! You’ve stopped calling me ‘Lady’. Now if you don’t mind, I believe my coffee is getting cold.” With that she turned and left.

-

“Sulking are we?”

Loki didn’t need to turn his head to know who it was.

“Thinking,” he corrected. “You might need to try it, as I have helped you steal one of the most powerful weapons there is, but you have failed to actually remove it from its box, making it completely useless. Also we have an angry goddess out of blood. My blood to be precise.”

“Really Loki, you have a penance for being over dramatic.”

“Funny, I thought I was stating the current situation.”

“You are right about your girlfriend, Loki.” Doom took pride in seeing Loki’s jaw clench, “She is powerful, I entered her subconscious as you and she knew it was me, funny that.”

Loki choose not to stoop to his level. “Did you learn how to open the box?”

“No.”

“Well done, I do believe Eris is the only one who can open it, and your men let her escape.”

“The plan wasn’t to take her as you know.”

“But we need her here now, and she wants her toy back.”

“You plan to lure her here. Let’s do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been slightly re written as most of what I wrote annoyed me.  
> Eris and Loki, a love that will transcend everything? Probably not, let's be realistic.  
> Tony and Steve? will the ship sail?  
> find out next chapter...


	8. The need of the many...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint finds a noted hidden in the bow, sent from Eris's contact.

Clint drew back the bowstring and fired. The arrow sailed into the bull eye and split the shaft of the arrow already imbedded in the target. The bow worked like a dream, although Clint knew most of it was down to his skills. Clint placed the bow of the bench to get some more arrows when the bow started clicking.

“What the hell?!.” Clint watched in horror as the bow seemed to come apart. The screws slowly unscrewing themselves from the bow’s frame. Clint felt like he was trapped in a horror movie.

“Don’t tell me you’ve broken it already?” Natasha called as she walked towards him, taking off a pair of cancelling headphones.

The screws had unscrewed themselves and the frame began to fall apart. Shit! It’s a fucking bomb. Clint thought.

“GET DOWN!” he shouted tackling Natasha to the floor, covering her body with his. He waited for the heat, flying shrapnel and loud noise anything. But nothing came. He gave it a few more seconds. Still nothing.

“Get off me.” Natasha barked. Clint got up gently and offered Natasha his hand. She ignored it and stood up. “What was that?”

“The bow, it went weird,” Natasha looked unimpressed. He sighed. “The screws started unscrewing on their own and when the frame started to fall apart, I thought it was a bomb.”

Natasha looked over his shoulder at the bench. He was right, the bow was now in pieces but it wasn’t a bomb. She walked over and looked at the inside of the frame. It was a lightweight bow so obviously it was hollow but this one had a wedge of paper rolled up and wedged inside it.

“Jesus Christ.” Clint’s face fell when he saw the bow, completely broken. Then he saw the paper in Natasha’s hand. “What’s that?”

Natasha unravelled the paper to show him what was on it. The message read: “Secure line call ************”

“Inventive way for someone to give you their number.” Natasha said looking at Clint for any clarification.

Clint looked puzzled. “It’s Eris’s contact, they gave me the bow, and they’re trying to contact me.”

“You can actually say their name, Clint.”

Clint said nothing but that look on his face told her he was hiding something.

“You wanna call?” he asked attempting to change the topic slightly.

“If they could have more information on what we’re up against the yes we should.”

“I’ll call the others then, they’re probably gonna need to hear this.”

“Yes.” Clint took that as his que to contact the rest of the team. Natasha cocked her head to the side, a habit she picked up when addressing the AI butler. “JARVIS, can you give me a location on Eris?”

~Yes Agent Romanoff, she appears to be in the kitchen drinking her fifth cup of coffee.~

“Thanks JARVIS, can you tell me if anyone is with her currently?”

~No one at the moment, her mood seems to be keeping everyone at bay. Anything else I can help you with?~

“No thanks JARVIS.” She found it unnerving when JARVIS made jokes, the sarcasm fitted the English accent but coming from a robot it just sounded strange.

Clint put down his phone and turned to Natasha. "Five minutes, where hid from guests.”

“The hidden conference room?”  
“  
Yep, although it does sound cooler when you call it the secret room.”

“Not it doesn’t.” she corrected him.

“It does, come on.”

-

“You’re telling me you found this phone number in your bow this ‘contact’ gave you?” Tony asked sarcastically.

“Yes, they probably have more information from us.” Natasha asked.

“Or they wanted Legolas as a booty call.”

“Would that have to work the other way around?” Tony sent Bruce a look. “I mean wouldn’t they need Clint’s number to call him for a booty call?”

“Let’s just ring the number.” Steve interjected.

Tony dialed the number and put the phone on speaker.

The ringer tone seemed to go on forever as the avengers stood and sat awkwardly in the badly lit secret conference room.

Then someone picked up. "You got my message, Hawkeye.” Boomed a deep masculine voice. It was a statement not a question.

“Yeah, but did you really have to destroy the bow in the process?”

“Ha, sorry about that, it was a means to an end, I am right in assuming you are not alone?”

“No, he is not, I am Captain America and you are talking with the Avengers.” Steve spoke up.

“Captain America, it is an honour, and the same to the rest of the Avengers.” The voice boomed. Tony turned to Bruce and mouthed “I know that voice.” Bruce looked back at him and handed Tony the tablet for him to trace the call.

“We have been lead to believe you have information regarding the golden apple and the whereabouts of terrorist Loki.” Steve continued.

“Yes I do, this information is regarding the apple, and there are some things I am sure Eris neglected to tell you. She means no malice but she is selfish, here main concern here is revenge on Loki and reclaiming what is hers, which is why she enlisted your help. The millions of lives at stake and Earth is not one of her priorities.”

“We’ve noticed.” Steve clenched his jaw, remembering the conversation he had with her in the lift. “What else can you tell us.”

“I’m sure you know the Apple is a weapon, which once activated becomes a bomb incapable of massive destruction, I doubt that whoever has it knows of its true power. And by now I am assuming the plan is to get the apple before active. But I am offering you a plan B, one that might me better in the long run than Plan A.”

“Don’t leave us in suspense.” Clint muttered.

The man on the phone sighed, “The apple can be destroyed if Eris absorbs its power. This will stop the apple from being of any use.”

“That seems possible, Eris manipulates energy, I theory she can absorb the energy of the apple, making it more stable.” Bruce clarified.

“So we can’t just destroy the apple?”

“It will do that by exploding.” The voice on the phone growled.

“Energy can be destroyed or created, it just changes form. So if Eris absorbs the energy, it’s less likely to change from chemical to more violent forms of energy. I think that’s what he’s trying to tell us anyway.” Bruce looked at Steve’s still confused face; he got the gist of what Bruce was trying to tell him anyway.

“Correct, Dr Banner.” The voice boomed. “The problem is that Eris herself has to choose to absorb the apple, she most likely won’t, considering the consquences.”

“Why aren’t you trying to convince her to do this?” Natasha asked.

“Like I told you, she is selfish. And the consequences for absorbing the power of the golden apple aren’t pleasant.”

“I don’t mean to sound rude but can you tell us what will happen?” Steve demanded.

“She’ll most likely die." The voice stated simply, although a note of sadness coloured his statement. "The power would be too much for her to contain and it would kill her body, maybe causing a much smaller and less harmful explosion of only a few feet.”

"Can she actually die?" Bruce asked.

"Yes." No other information was offered.

Steve was silent for a moment so Natasha took over. “How do we get her to absorb the apple if she doesn’t want to?”

“I gave her a small clay pot when she and Hawkeye came to visit me, Don’t ask the poor man about it. Eris made sure he can't talk about it.” Everyone turned to look at Clint who pretended they weren’t. “She thinks the pot contains hell hounds, it doesn’t. It contains a substance which will enforce Eris to absorb it. It will not control her mind but once the apple touches her skin the energy transfer, as Dr Banner put it, will begin.”

“This apple is mean to drive people insane to possess it.” Natasha stated, recalling what Eris told them when she first arrived.

“Only if contact is made with it.” The voice replied. “That is all I can tell you for now." The voice became amused. "Mr. Stark, did you manage to find me?”

Tony looked up from the tablet in mild shock. “Still working on it.” He replied. In fact he had run into two dead ends as the signal jumped around the globe.

“One more thing.” Steve said, his brow creased. “Why are you doing this to help us?”

There was a few seconds pause on the other end of the line. “This is war. The life of one person does not and will not out weight the lives of millions of others, especially when that one person has the ability to save those lives.”

Steve thought of the friends he’d lost in combat, most of all Bucky. “Thanks for your help.”

“Just stop it.” The voice told him before discontenting.

Steve lent against the table and sighed.

“You alright there, Cap?” Tony asked, any concern from Tony was rare.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Steve ran his hand through is hair. “Did you find out where he was calling from?”

“Nope,” Tony looked pissed off at that. “The bastard bounced the call off hundreds of servers. But I do know that voice from somewhere.”

Steve made an effort to look like he knew what Tony was talking about.

“He’s most likely family to her.” Natasha stated. “The way he spoke about her hinted at unconditional love, the type family members show for one another.”

“Any ideas on who that might be, Bruce.”

Bruce suddenly found himself as the Avengers’ official Greek Mythology expert. 

“I.. I’m not sure really, according to myths she had a pretty huge family.”

“Okay, no worries, but how are we going to get the pot of powder off her?” Steve asked. “She’s not going to hand it over nicely.”

Natasha took a small clay pot out of her pocket and showed it to her team mates. “Took it while she was asleep.”

“Nice.” Clint called. She smiled back.

“Did that guy say something about hell hounds being in that pot?” Tony asked.

“Yes, the magic of Olympus is strange and unusual, I would guest it contains the hell hounds in powder form, which Eris would summon when needed. Apparently they can grow to the size of a Midgardian white bear."

"Powdered? Like a cup-a-soup?" Clint asked

"I am not aware what that is."

"Nether mind."

"Right. Tony have the scanners picked up on anything?" Steve asked.

“Nothing major as of yet.” He leaned back in the chair and stared at Steve with these dark brown eyes. “I’ll tell you if I do.”

“Okay thanks, let’s go and act like normal. Tell Eris nothing.” Steve told them as they filed out the room. He’d long given up on telling them they were dismissed. The jokes weren’t worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!
> 
> For anyone who doesn't know what a cup-a-soup is, I'm not sure if their just a British thing. But it's a sachet of dried/powdered soup that you add hot water to and drink from a mug.


	9. The assault begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Apple is located in Doctor Doom's compound. The battle plans are drawn and the assault begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In battle the Avengers referred to by their code names.

Natasha watched as Eris laid an impressive collection of knives out on the table. Contrary to what Natasha was expecting the knives were new and plain, simple and practical. The way Eris handled them gave the impression she knew how to use them. She clearly appeared to be ambidextrous as well. Natasha almost felt sorry for Loki, almost. Natasha had bigger problems to deal with.

Eris had already noticed the clay pot was missing but hadn’t made a big deal out of it, claiming that whoever found it would have one big surprise before declaring she could go after Loki without it. Natasha touched the pocket were she had stowed the pot she’d taken when Eris was asleep.

“Right, from what we can tell from the satellite imagery is that Doctor Doom’s compound is well guarded by a mix of sentinel robots and a few human guards on the out posts. This would make the place practically impregnable.” Bruce told them.

“Practically?” Clint asked, “I like those odds.”

Steve rolled his eyes and walked over to the touch screen covered in grainy surveillance photos. “Thanks Bruce,” he told Bruce as he took a seat. “Storming this place is not an option, it’s too heavy guarded, so we are going in quietly.”

“Hoping they leave a window open for us to climb through.” Tony interrupted.

Steve ignored him. “I thinking of a two pronged attack at night. Black Widow and Hawkeye are the best at covert operations, I’m assuming from what we’ve seen of Eris she can do the same, so they’re going in on ground level. I’ll need Hawkeye on higher ground,” Steve gestured to a slope with some tree cover near the compound. “You will provide cover for the both Eris and Black Widow, and then join them as they after the apple.” 

Clint nodded to show he understood.

“Iron man, will go for an aerial assault with the Hulk. Cause as much damage as you possibly can to the upper structure.”

“You mean cause a distraction?” Bruce asked.

“Yes, weaken Doctor Doom’s position as much as possible then try make your way to our location.”

“Not a bad idea, Loki is terrified of the Hulk.” Eris said.

“That’s if Loki is actually there.” Tony told her.

“I know he is.” She muttered darkly. Tony turned away from her evil glare, he did not envy Loki right now.

“I’ll be going in with Eris, Hawkeye and Black Widow.” He looked around the room. “Thor I want you with Iron Man and the Hulk.”

“No offence, but I would prefer to be with the other group.”

“You mean the one with me on it? Are you trying to say you don’t trust me?” Eris’s expression was filled with mock hurt as she flipped a clip blade into her hand before shoving it into a pocket. “Besides Thor, you should be able to take out the compound’s power generators.” 

“It’s Doom where talking about, he’d have enough backup generators to last a century.” Clint stated.

“True but before the backup kicks in it should cause panic enough for us to get further into the compound. That’s actually not a bad idea, Eris.”

“Thanks.” 

“I'll be going in with Eris and the Black Widow.” Steve nodded to Thor, as a way of saying he'd keep Eris in check.

A chorus of ‘yes’s swept across the room.

“Meet by the jet in ten.” Tony called.

-  
The jet ride had been deafening silent apart from AC/DC blaring from the speakers which no one bothered to tell Tony to turn down. But Eris would have swapped that for the creeping through the undergrowth from where the jet had dropped them off. It beat wincing every time someone stepped on a twig; unsurprisingly it was her and Captain America.

Hawkeye gestured towards a tree, telling them he’d found his vantage point. Captain America nodded as Black Widow lead them through hedges and Hawkeye silently scrabbled up the tree. Black Widow gestured for Eris and Captain America to lie down. Captain America and the Black Widow produced a pair of binoculars. 

A chain link fence surrounded concert walls with guard towers at regular intervals. The chain link fence created a dead man’s land between the outside and the inside of the compound. Captain America sighed. The fence could be climbed but they had nothing to cover the barbed wire at the top.

Eris noticed the look on Captain America’s face. She lent closer to him and whispered. “It’s a short distance, I can teleport us past the fence, I can see where we’d be going.”

“Wait till I give you the signal.” He whispered back.

What kind of signal? Eris thought as she placed a hand on both Captain America and the Black Widow.

Suddenly moment could be seen in the guard towers, spreading from the right to the left. Through the binoculars Captain America could see the guards dropping like flies with arrows in their foreheads. Hawkeye was doing his part, now where were the others?

Seconds later Hawkeye crawled up next to them.

“Place your hand on my shoulder.” Eris hissed. “I’m teleporting us past the gate.”

He didn’t respond but Eris felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Captain, look up.” Natasha directed his gaze to the sky. Thick, angry storm clouds were forming above the compound. The dark massing clouds looked like dirty rages in a sink   
against the light of moon. Suddenly white forks of lightening spat out from between the clouds. It was Thor. Captain America breathed a sigh of relief.

“Get ready.” He warned.

Eris tightened her grip on Captain America and Black Widow. Hawkeye did the same to her.

They waited for what seemed like forever watching the storm clouds grow and the air fill with static. Then it came.

A huge bolt of lightning shot down from the centre of the storm, striking something beyond the compound’s high walls. The light briefly showed up the outline of Thor heading towards the compound. 

Eris felt the lightning discharge in the Earth. She looked to the Captain. He nodded. 

She closed her eyes and visualised the compound gates and focused. She felt the ground beneath her slip away only to be replaced with ground under her feet.

“Christ.” Captain America muttered. He looked around him, as Eris promised they were inside the fence. He looked at the ten foot wall in blocking their way in. “I’m gonna give you guys a leg up.”

Captain America braced himself, cupping his hands together to them to place their feet. Black Widow when first, the Hawkeye.

Eris looked at him. “I’ll teleport back for you.”

He nodded and watched as she ran towards him, feeling her foot in hands he pushed her upwards. Moments later he felt a small hand grasp his and he found himself on the other side of the wall.

“Thanks for the hand.” She told her.

-

“JARVIS I need you to take control of the jet, take it somewhere safe but not to far.”

~In case of a quick escape, sir?~

“Yep.” Tony hit the lever to open the jet’s loading ramp. “Ready, Bruce?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Bruce replied, removing his shirt. He closed his eyes and thought of General Ross. Nothing Zen or deep. Just General Ross and the years he spent on the run because of him. Then Bruce felt the rage explode in him. He opened his eyes, ran towards the open door and let out a roar.

Tony looked out the open door. There was no way he could follow an entrance like that, then again he wasn’t a giant green rage monster. Tony shrugged and put on his helmet   
and the blue visual display came alive. He wasn’t the hulk, he was iron man.

-

Back on the ground, hell was breaking loose.

Looked like the other team were living up to their half of the mission. Hawkeye thought as he fired yet another arrow into some human guard. He walked over to body to pull it out again and put it back in his quiver. He fingered his electro arrows he was saving for the sentinel guards. He was not looking forward to facing those metal bastards.  
Hawkeye and Captain America went to scoop around the corner. He gestured for Clint to go on. Clint turned the corner to come face to face with a humanoid drone. He let the arrow loose but it was a normal arrow and bounced off the robot’s metal plating. Quickly as he could he grabbed an electro arrow his quiver and fired before the robot even registered him. As the arrow hit its metal skin, the thing twitched and rived, spitting blue sparks before hitting the deck.

He looked around for another one. Nothing.

“Coast is clear.” He called. “We’re now facing the tin can fuckers.”

“Don’t let Iron man hear you calling them that.” Captain America told him coming up on Hawkeye’s left.

“What’s he gonna do?” he replied.

“Come on!” Eris hissed. “The Apple is being stored underground, I can feel it!” She was already half way down the corridor, the Black Widow just behind her. Hawkeye and Captain America shared a look before moving to catch up with them.

-

Iron Man hovered above the compound and aimed yet another missile into the reinforced concrete structure. He noticed the saw the Hulk was doing something similar with its bare hands. That should be enough of distraction. He thought.

“Captain,” he called into his com, “Where you guys heading? Thor, Hulk and me have virtually levelled this place.”

“Heading down, there seems to be a labyrinth of tunnels down here, the above ground levels must be holding nothing important” 

“You’re telling me that now!”

"Come on, we didn’t have full layout for this place, regroup with Hulk and Thor and head downwards"

“Kay.” He muttered in annoyance before turning off the com.

-

“She’s brought the Avengers with her. Still feeling confident?”

“Why won’t I? Moving the apple so the they could trace the energy signature worked.” Doom turned his masked face to look at Loki as he paced the room. “And once I have the power of the apple in my hands the Avengers will be nothing. Merely bugs.”

“You’re hands? We are working together; if it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t have the apple at all. So I suggest you start treating as an equal.” He snarled.

“Remember what you owe me Loki, that’s why you’re here. Also it’s your girlfriend is the only one who can open that.”

Loki sighed in frustration. “Well, she is here. I just go and ask her nicely, shall I?”

Doom didn’t rely.

Loki glared at that ridiculous mask and teleported out of the room.

-

Eris was still taking the lead, making stupid moves without really thinking. She was motivated by anger and likely to herself killed. Black Widow sighed, she was sure Eris was going to get herself killed before they could neutralise the apple.

The four of them headed towards a set of steal door. Eris placed her hand on the control pad. There was a sound of pressure being released and the doors slid open revealing a large circular room. In the centre stood Loki clad in his full battle gear, minus his horned helmet.

The Avengers took cover in behind the door frame.

“Well, well, well. Eris darling, it seems you’ve managed to get the Avengers to help you, did you tell them we fucked on every surface in the Avenger Tower?”

Captain America made a mental note to scrub everything in the tower with bleach.

Eris moved from her cover to stand in the middle of the door, purposely drawing Loki’s attention to her and away from the others. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.” She told him. “And you seem to have misplaced you helmet.”

Hawkeye drew back his bow, he moved slowly to get a better shot. Black Widow was doing the same on the other side. 

Loki smiled at her. “Would you believe me if I told you it was because you told me you didn’t like it?”

“No.”

“There’s simply no pleasing you.”

Hawkeye let the arrow fly. Loki’s eyes darted towards it. He teleported out the way. Natasha fired him. Loki teleported again.

“You, simple beings don’t learn.” He yelled mockingly. “I am really going to enjoy crushing you.”

Eris rolled her eyes. “All talk and no trousers.” She stepped forward through the doorway and placed her hand on the inner control panel. She turned to face them, her eyes burning. “Find another route, get my apple and save the world. He is mine!”

The doors slammed shut, sealing Eris and Loki off from the Avengers.

They stared at the sealed door.

“Right, you heard her, find the apple and get it way from here.” Captain America commanded.

“Was that selfless?” Hawkeye asked Black Widow.

“I’m not sure.” She replied.

-

“It seems you have me alone, Lady Eris.” Loki held his arms out to gesture to the room and grinned at her.

“Yes I do.” She took a step forward and returned his grin. “I have you all to myself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The battle continues next chapter...


	10. No rivers or no lakes will put the fire out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The assault on Doom's compound continues

They stood staring at each other, saying nothing. Each one daring the other make the first move.

“Eris, I don’t really know what to say really know what to say, you have me lost for words.”

Eris’s blood boiled. He had had her beaten half to death, destroyed her vault and now he stood there trying to flirt with her.

“I doubt you were expecting to find me alive.” Her words caused something that looked like pain briefly crossed Loki's face.

“Remember when I promised I would never do anything to hurt you?” Eris made no attempt to acknowledge Loki’s words but she could clearly recall when Loki made that promise, in her home in Greece, her back pressed up against the kitchen worktop. Loki regarded her stony expression and carried on. “I kept that promise.”

Eris walked slowly towards Loki, her eyes locked on his. She was inches from him now.

“I remember that day.” She leaned towards in as if to kiss him. “But I also remember you’re a liar.” She grabbed a knife and plunged it into his gut. But instead of blood, the groan of pain, Loki laughed, he knife passed threw him like air. Then he disappeared.

“Really? That was a bit cliqued. I was expecting so much more.” His voice called from behind her. She smiled bitterly to herself and turned throwing a knife in the direction of the voice. She heard a satisfying “Ooof” sound then turned to see Loki pull the blade out of his right shoulder.

His amour had stopped it doing any serious damage, but he was hit and distracted. Eris ran at him, throwing a creasant kick into Loki’s face, quickly following it with a reverse spin kick to the side of his head. Loki stumbled back against the wall, he placed his and on the ear she’d kicked. It was ringing and throbbing. If he was lucky she hadn’t perforated his ear drum.

Eris grabbed her one of her larger knifes out its holster and raised her arm. Loki pushed off the wall, grabbing her raised arm and forcing it behind her back. He twisted arm back further. She a yelp of pain and the knife clattered to the floor. He pushed her up against the wall, using his weight to block any escape. She could hear her practically spitting with rage.

“Never fight angry, your anger makes you weak.” He whispered in her ear.

His cold breathe tickled her neck. She wouldn’t be able to teleport without bringing him with her. She let out a deep breath as his weight forced her face further against the concrete wall. She needed to buy some time to think of something.

“So you recommend fighting bitter?” She didn’t wait for a reply. “Still upset about being your big brother’s shadow?” Loki’s response was to twister her arm further.  
She gasped in pain.

“I am nobody’s shadow” he hissed in her ear. “And I am my own person!”

Eris let short laugh, her breathe made the wall she was pressed against damp. “You’re your own person.” She repeated. “ That really explains Doctor Doom. You do know I thought we were doing alright, me and you that is.” She concentrated on drawing the energy in the room towards her. “So what I really need to know is why? Since you’re defiantly your own person you can at least answer me that.”

“Why? I had a debt that needed replying, one I couldn’t ignore. Doom helped me escape the Chitauri once I escaped Asgard.”

“So you’re simply returning a favour.”

“It is more complicated than that.”

“And I was a means to an end? Did you hunt me down on the internet?” Eris asked, she wasn’t surprised although that didn’t stop her from feeling hurt.

Loki paused for a moment, searching for some explanation. Eris felt his grip on her arm loosen slightly. Finally he murmured, “No, it was like that.”

Something inside Eris snapped and she sent the energy ball in to Loki’s chest. Loki flew backwards and slid across the floor.

Eris turned to face him and rotated her arm to get the feeling back in it.

“Don’t you dare say that!” She snarled. “Where the fuck where you when I had a boot in my back?”

Loki groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. “I wasn’t there, that was Doom. I expected you to at least be aware of that.” He barked indignantly. 

“Why weren’t you there?” she demanded, throwing another knife at him. This one entered Loki’s thigh and he fell back to his knees.

Loki grunted in pain and threw his head back. Calmly he pulled the bloody knife out of his leg. “Are you trying to torture me?”

“Trust me, you don’t know the meaning of the word.” She spat at him.

Loki looked at her sceptically.

“Answer me Loki.” She voice grew calm. Somehow that worried Loki more. “Where were you when I was being beat to death?”

“I couldn’t watched it.” Loki spat the words out as if they were poisonous.

“This coming from the man who has mascaraed hundreds of people and attempted genocide.”

Loki stared at the floor to his right, saying nothing. He couldn’t explain why and he didn’t much feel like it right now.

Then something dawned on Eris, Loki wasn’t attacking her, every time she attacked he acted defensively. He wasn’t letting her beat him, but he wasn’t trying to hurt her. She wasn’t sure what to do.

“It's Doom who wants the Apple?”

Loki’s gaze levelled with hers. She took that as a yes.

“Does he know what it is and what it can do?”

“He knows it’s a source of great power one which he wants to harness to help in rule the world.” Loki told her ambiguously. Loki saw something besides anger spark in her eyes.

“That’s means he knows it powerful but he doesn’t know what I really does. I guessing poor old Doctor Doom can’t even get it out of its box.”

“You guessed correctly.” He smiled at her. 

Eris threw her head back and laughed manically. “Then he’ll never have it, he’ll be just like Tantalus.” Her laughter echoed around the circular room. “I’m in a good mind to leave it with him.”

“You really do not know what Doom is like.” Loki told her, his jaw set to help him cope with the pain in his thigh. 

She looked at Loki, she almost felt guilty. Being in Doom’s debt made I’m practically his pawn.

Eris walked towards Loki. “Get up.” She told him offering him her arm for support. He looked at it for second and thought about refusing it but he took it and pulled himself up.   
His hand was still on Eris’s arm. He looked down at it and trailed it up the length of her forearm. Her skin was soft and warm. He was surprised she hadn’t jerked away. He looked at her face, her eyes were on his hand and her expression was free from anger. He let his hand trail up to cup the back of her neck, gently brushing strands of hair out of the way. He lent in to kiss her and Eris reached to meet his lips. He was pleasantly surprised when she kissed back. More so when she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. He placed his other arm on the small of her back, pulling her in closer. 

Through the haze of Loki’s lips on hers, the memory of what he did scuttled into her mind. The feeling she felt as she led beaten and broken on the bathroom floor. She remembered the oath she wore. She clamped her teeth down on his trapping his tongue in her mouth. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth as she bit is tongue.  
He opened his eyes to look at her in surprise. 

Her eyes gleamed wickedly. She hadn’t forgiven him and this was how she was going to punish him, By biting out his tongue.

Loki’s eyes hardened; there was no way he was going to let this happen. He tightened his grip on her and teleported to where Doom was.

-

Iron Man fired at blast after blast at the oncoming robots. Where hell were they all coming from? He thought.

Suddenly a shield moved past the right of his vision, taking out two oncoming robots.

“Nice for you to join us, Cap.” Iron Man called out as took out another robot. His scanners located Thor crushing robots with his hammer, Hulk slamming two of them together and Hawkeye and Black Widow taking out more robots on his left. No Eris. “You’re missing one.”

“We were confronted by Loki; Eris deal with him.” Captain America paused as he punched a humanoid robot in the face. “Sealed her and Loki off from the rest of us and told us to get the Apple.”

“Right, any idea where we have gotta go?”

“Haven’t you been able to be track the energy signature?” Black Widow called.

“Not yet, JARVIS is trying to locate it now.”

~Sir, uploading the route to the apple’s energy signature.~

A map appeared in the corner of the Iron Man’s screen, a red dot located where the apple’s energy was strongest.

“Got it,” He called out. “This way.” He gestured. 

The team followed Iron Man down the right hand corridor, still taking out the remaining sentinel robots.

They eventually came to a sealed steel door.

“Can you open it?” Captain America asked Iron Man.

“Come on, we have enough fire power between us to blow it into next week.”

“Hey Captain, me and Widow will take an alternative route.” Hawkeye nodded at the large air conditioning vent. 

“Good idea.” Captain America said.

“Good, but could you get the covers off for us, Hulk?”

The Hulk strode forward and crushed the air vent covers as if they were made of cardboard not steel.

“Thanks buddy.” Hawkeye called, before following Black Widow into the vent.

“Now let’s get this door open. They know where here so there’s no need to be quiet.”

-

Loki felt the ground return to under his feet and Eris’s grip on his tongue loosen in shock. Quickly he threw her off him and she fell back against the concrete wall. Eris’s vision swam for a second as her head collided with the wall then she looked up at Loki, his blood dripping down her chin.

Eris turned her attention from Loki to the room. Yet again it was another circular room, much larger than the one she met Loki in. This one was also tiered with steps tapering down from another set of steel doors. On a table in the centre sat a dull grey box, the apple’s containment box.

“It looks like you were able to shut Loki up.” A voice chuckled. Eris searched for the owner. He was sat on a throne like chair like a king, Eris nearly rolled her eyes his delusions of grandeur and obvious megalomania. The man was wearing what appeared to be a metal suit of armour, a mask of similar design over his face and a dark green hood to finish the look. So this was Doctor Doom.

Eris made no move to respond to him. 

The man got up off his throne and walked towards her. “Eris, I assume.” Eris nodded. “I am Doctor Doom, if you didn’t know already.”

She gave him her best unimpressed look. “I see you have my apple which you stole.”

“Ha, the word I was going to use is acquired.” He responded arrogantly. Eris was going to enjoy what was going to happen next.

“Acquired? You tore half vault apart.” She replied coldly.

“It wasn’t easy, I lost countless men and machines in that place.”

“Good, I will take it back and leave you to play king of the castle with your little squire Loki.” Eris made a move for the box and as she expected Doom placed his arm out to stop her. But she didn’t expect him to clasp a metal gauntlet around it.

“Not so fast, the apple is mine now.” 

Eris raised her voice in annoyance, “What in the pits of Tartarus is this?”

“I need you to open the box for me, and this little thing,” he taped the gauntlet and a red light came on. “Is going to make you.”

Doom watched bemused as Eris tried to tear it off with her bare hands.

“That won’t work; it’s programmed so only I can remove it. And this is what it does.” Doom clicked a button his own gauntlet.

The pain caused Eris to convulse. This pain wasn’t from electrocution. She could handle that. No, this pain burned threw her bones and it feel as of her flesh was burning.

“It hurts doesn’t it?” He knelt down to where she twitched on the floor. In Eris’s blurring vision she saw him tap his gauntlet again. 

The pain stopped. Eris felt herself shaking. 

Doom lent a bit closer. “Are you going to open it?”

Eris spat in his face. “No.”

“I said open it, you worthless little girl.” There was an edge to Doom’s voice now as he activated the gauntlet on Eris’s wrist again.

The pain went on for what felt like an eternity. She felt something wet running down her face.

Loki looked over at the macabre scene and he winced in horror. Eris’s gold blood was dripping from her nose and her eyes and it was Doom standing over her, he could see his face behind the mask but he could tell he was enjoying it. He felt sick to his stomach. Worse of all he couldn’t say anything, conjure anything because the stupid bitch had bitten his tongue, not right off but enough so he couldn’t speak.

Loki grabbed the box the apple was in and threw it at Doom. It hit him in the back and Doom spun around to face him. 

“Why are trying to do?” He demanded.

Loki gestured to his mouth.

“Oh, that’s right you can’t talk.” Doom glared at him and Loki glimpsed at Eris, still twisting in pain. “Spit it out then.”

Loki pointed to Eris, mimed death then pointed to the box and mimed ‘no’.

Doom stared at him then deactivated the gauntlet. “You’d make a good mime, and you're right she’s no use dead.” 

Doom when to pick up the box from where it had landed and placed it back on the table.

“I thought I was a worthless little girl.” She choked.

Loki bent down next to her and looked at her, his grey eyes pleading with her to do it. 

“I’m not afraid to die, especially if it’s to spite someone.” She whispered, her head then slumped against shoulder. He pressed his head on hers and tried to get a message through to her, hopefully she was unconscious enough for it to work.

Eris heard a voice as everything started to go black.

=He doesn’t know the true power of the apple=

Eris’s eyes fluttered open only to be greeted with Doom’s face.

“Now open the box.” Doom told her, his finger hovering over the button on his gauntlet.

“Since you asked so nicely.” Eris told him, she could hear noise outside the room which Doom seemed unaware of. Hopefully that was the Calvary.  
With the help of Loki, Eris made it to the table and placed both her hands on the box. She began chanting under her breathe. The sound so low Doom couldn’t hear it. 

“It was not that simple.” He said in disbelief.

“No it wasn’t.” she told him. “Here’s your prize.” She handed the glowing golden apple, thanking the fates that she was immune to her apple’s power.  
Doom practically snatched it from her and held it in front of his face. Eris could see his eyes widen in awe behind the mask. The whites of his eyes began to turn gold. The apple was working its hypnotic charm on him.

-

Black Widow looked through the vent cover into the room. Loki was leant against a table, obviously in pain, most likely from an injury to the mouth judging from the blood drippimg down his chin. Eris was stood me with a similar blood stain around her mouth; a gold liquid seemed to be running down from her nose and eyes, most likely from some form of haemorrhaging. Black Widow assumed the blood on Eris was Loki’s and the gold liquid was most likely her own alien blood. Both she and Loki looked like death warmed up. But it was Doctor Doom who attracted her attention. He back was to her, but his face was lit up by a bright golden light which had to be the Apple.

“Captain, I’ve got eyes on Eris, Loki and Doom. Eris and Loki are injured, posing little threat. Doom has the apple.”

“I hear you, Black Widow, we’ll join you in a sec, and you and Hawkeye know the plan.”

Black Widow shifted around and kicked the vent cover off the wall. It can off with one kick and Black Widow pushed herself through, pistol drawn. She heard Hawkeye land next to her.

Doom turned in surprise and Black Widow fired the entire clip at Doom. The bullets bounced off the armour.

“You can’t stop me now Avengers!” Doom declared although his eyes never left the apple.

Hawkeye aimed for the centre of Loki’s forehead and fired. Eris saw him and raised her hand, casting an energy shield causing the arrow to disintegrate on impact.

“Leave Loki, get the apple!” She shouted. “It won’t be stable for long!”

The steel doors suddenly gave a deafening groan as the metal peeled like an orange skin under the Hulk’s hands. The remaining Avengers flooded the room.

“The power of the Apple will destroy you all!” Doom proclaimed, holding the apple aloft as it shone.

Nothing happened. Doom look confused.

Captain America sighed in relief.

“Avengers, take Doom out!” he yelled.

Hawkeye drew back his bow and sent two arrows at Doom. The arrows hit their target. The eye holes in Doom’s mask. He fell back screaming. Thor threw Mjolnir, hitting Doom square in the chest. Doom flew backwards, crashing into his throne.

“Give me the apple back!” He screamed. He reached up and pulled the arrows out of his eyes. His cries echoed around the room. “I need it.”

The Avengers stared at Doom’s ruined eyes. The blood running down his mask. He raised hand and placed it on the gauntlet on his opposite arm. He felt for the right button and pressed it.

This time it was Eris who screamed. She grabbed at her hair and pulled at in desperately as she sank to the floor.

“What the actual fuck?” Iron Man exclaimed.

“It’s that thing on her wrist; we need to get it off.” Captain America yelled.

Thor held her arm out as she convulsed. “There appears to be no lock.” He declared as Black Widow tried to cradle her head.

Loki slowly back stepped away, trying to get away from the Avengers whilst they were preoccupied. He took another step back and he hit something hard but warm. He closed his eyes and waited for the Hulk to strike.

No impact came. The Hulk just roughly pushed him aside and stepped forward. Loki didn’t know if he should be insulted or not.

He watched the Hulk walk up to the fitting Eris and tear the gauntlet off like it was paper, leaving her skin a dark brown colour on her skin.

Eris lurched forward gasping for air. “The apple!”

“Get the apple!” Captain America ordered.

“Don’t! Don’t touch it.” She croaked.

“Give it here.” Doom called weakly. The loss of his eyes was starting to take its toll.

“You’ll never have it, you pathetic mortal!” Eris spat.

“I ‘ll use the shield.” Captain America told them. He walked up to where the apple fell and thanked God it hadn’t exploded yet. He used the edge of the shield to move the apple onto it. The thing was glowing brighter and brighter.

“Black Widow.” He looked at her to silently convey the orders.

She nodded and removed the clay pot unbroken from her pocket. She looked at Eris, her eyes were half shut from whatever pain the gauntlet had inflicted. If her source was right then this was defiantly going to kill her. Black Widow went smash it when a blade knocked it out of her hand and sent it clattering across the floor.   
She rubbed her hand to see Loki grinning at her from across the room. 

“Brother this is no time for games, the fate of this world is hanging in the balance!” Thor roared. 

Loki replied with a bored expression.

Suddenly energy blasts fired wildly around the room. One hit Thor in the side. Another clipped Iron Man shoulder as the others dived for cover. 

“Give me the Apple!” Doom howled as he desperately waved some kind of gun around. 

“Shut the fuck up!” Iron Man replied, firing his own energy blast at Doom. The blast knocked Doom back and his head lolling to one side.

“Shit!” Hawkeye exclaimed. The other avengers looked to where he was staring. The clay pot had been hit; it and nearly all of its content had been vaporized.

“The box, you idiots.” Eris called as she pulled herself on to her knees. Right now the apple’s glow had brighter, illuminating the most of the room. “Put it in the box!” 

Captain America looked over to the table, somehow trigger happy Doom had managed to destroy the clay pot, half the table and damage the box beyond any use.

“There is no box.” He told her.

“What!?” she asked in disbelief. 

“Doom destroyed it.”

“Well, that’s fucking great.” Iron Man called out as he tried to repair his damaged shoulder. Although there really wasn’t much point considering how close he was standing next to a bomb.

Eris took a deep breathe.

“You know what you have to do.” Captain America told her.

Eris showed no sign of hearing him

“Help me up.” She ordered. Hawkeye offered her his hand. 

“There will be an explosion, a small one most likely.” She told them frankly, not meeting their eyes.

The apple had now grown brighter, now admitting an almost blinding light.

She looked Captain America in his bright blues. “I don’t have to do anything, I make my own choices.” She told him.

He held her stare as he offered the apple to her off his upturned shield. “Avengers, move out.” He ordered.

Eris reached forward to take the apple.

“Loki, come brother.” Thor called clenching his side as the Hulk tossed him over his shoulder.

Of course Loki didn’t reply. 

“Loki!” Thor called hoarsely.

“Just get out of here.” Captain America ordered, as he watched Loki limp over to Eris. The light from the apple made her painful to stare at now. He turned to run for the door. Before he did he turned and saluted her.

As he ran to join the others, he could have sworn he heard her chuckle.

-

Eris could feel the energy coming in waves off the apple, each one stronger than the last. This thing This thing was going to destroy half the planet if she didn’t stop it. She gripped her teeth and closed her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Loki in front of her. His eyes darted towards the apple and back to her, then he raised his eyebrows.

“Join me my all means,” she shrugged, holding the apple at arm’s length. 

Loki placed his hands over hers and locked his gaze with her’s.

“Ready?” she asked. “We’ll just give them a few seconds more.”

-

They had just made it outside and above ground of the compound when they were propelled forward the blast and thrown the floor. A white light shone through every opening and gap in the compound, lighting up the night sky. Strangely no sound was made.

“Holy shit.” Hawkeye gasped.

Iron man opened his helmet. “If that was little…”

“Tony can you see if it’s a radioactive blast?” Black Widow asked.

“Sure.” Iron Man closed his helmet again. “No, nothing more than usual in Eastern Europe.”

“Loki could still be alive, Eris also.” Thor said desperately as he clutched his side.

“Could anyone survive that thing?” Captain America asked.

“You really want to bet against two gods?” Hawkeye asked.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greek mythology references-  
>  Tantalus - as punishment for killing his own son and giving it to the gods of Olympus to eat, he was condemned to be stuck in the pool of water were if he he went to drink the water, the water would always recede away from him, so he'd never drink. Also a fruit tree grew above is head, the fruit always out of his reach. So he could always see what he wanted but never have it.
> 
> Tartarus- actual Greek hell, this is where people were punished for the for crimes in really horrible and unusual ways.
> 
> Now that's out of the way,  
> The series of kicks Eris throws at Loki are totally possible if thrown from one leg then the other, trust me I did martial arts for years and this move was one of my best showing off pieces.
> 
> And I stole the title from one of favourite Florence and the machine songs (seven devils)  
> Hope you enjoyed it, all my love for getting this far.


	11. Damages and Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of blast, Eris wakes up in a hospital bed and with an uncertain future.

A black Bentley rolled up outside the Avenger Tower. A chauffer in a suit and driving gloves got out and opened the back passenger door. A tall, thick set man emerged dressed in an expensive well-tailored suit, only his beard suggested at his true orgin.

“Ah! Tony!” He greeted Tony.

“Hey!” Tony exclaimed as he was pulled into a crushing hug by the larger man. “What do it call you know? Ares?”

“Ares is fine since you know the truth now.” Ares replied grimly.

“Yeah, if you’re worried about that I’ve kinda make sure SHIELD won’t be knowing about this meeting.”

“Thank you, Tony.”

“No problem, it’s the least I could do for an old friend.” Tony led him through the doors and to the lift. “Hey, do you remember Switzerland?”

“Some of it, yeah. Didn’t you get off with some biologist or something?”

“Probably.” Tony shrugged remembering Maya, “I’ve never asked this, but what the hell was a mercenary doing at a science convention?”

Ares laughed. “Babysitting my little sister.”

“You mean Eris was…”

“Yeah, dragged me alone because she hadn’t seen me in ages.” He said with an edge of sadness.

Tony thought about how many times he could have been near an alien god and not know it. His head began to hurt.

“Tell me why you stopped making weapons, you always gave me mate’s rates?”

Tony sighed “I saw first-hand what my weapon were doing and I couldn’t let that happen anymore.”

“So you saw war and became a weapon against it.” He glanced at Tony. “I’m impressed. Although I still think should make more weapons.”

“What? For your mercenaries to play with? I don’t think so.”

“I prefer to call them private security providers.” Ares corrected, smirking at Tony.

“Anyway, we shouldn’t be talking business on a personal visit.

“Well dealing with Eris can sometimes feel like a job.”

“Really?”

“No, she hadn’t done anything like this in decades but still.”

“Yeah, still a pain in the ass.”

The lift doors opened and they were greeted by Steve.

“Hello Ares, I am Captain Rogers.” He said offering the mountain of a man his hand.

“I expected a salute, Captain,” he joked. “Pleasure to meet you. If you’re ever looking for contact work.”

“Thanks. I, I’ll bear that in mind. Eris is this way, in the hospital wing.” Steve lead the way to the hospital wing.

“Good job on making Cap all flustered there.” Tony whispered.

“I think you do that to him anyway.” Ares replied, relishing the look of confusion dance across Tony’s face. Sometimes he understood why his sister liked goading people so much.

Steve stopped at a set of glass doors. “She’s in here; I’ll get Doctor Banner to take you to her.”

“Okay.” Ares waited patiently for whoever Doctor Banner was to arrive. “You should come to London again, I think Soho has finally recovered from your last visit.” He told Tony.

“I doubt that, do you remember that thing?” Tony raised his eyebrows suggestively.

“Yes, Yes. How could I forget? You were…” Ares chuckled; it was too ridiculous to put into words. “Listen come to London, bring the pretty captain along. He could do with letting his hair down.”

“If you say so but the drinks are on you.”

“You’re a billionaire trying to get people to buy you drinks?”

“That’s how I stay rich.” Tony shrugged.

A small man with salt and pepper hair greeted Ares. “Hi, I’m Dr Banner. You’re here to see Eris.”

The seriousness of the reason he was here settled in again. “Yes. I am.”

Dr. Banner shot him a sympathetic smile that reminded Ares of why he hated medical doctors. “Follow me.”

Seemed he would he spend the day following people. He thought.

“See ya.” Tony called.

“Yeah, bye mate.” He called back.

“You know Tony?” Dr. Banner asked. Ares hated small talk.

“How is my sister?” He asked plainly.

“No longer critical, she stabled pretty quickly to be honest. But she’s still hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”

Ares chewed over his words for a moment.

“How did you find her after the blast?”

“Unconscious, the apple had disappeared. I think her and Loki survived because the energy was split between two bodies instead of one.”

Ares stopped in disbelief. “Loki?”

“Yes,” Dr Banner when bug eyed for a moment as he realized he’d put his foot in it. “Uh, he helped her contain the blast. He’s in a more secure room at the moment.” He didn’t   
fancy seeing two gods of war fighting it out.

Ares swallowed his questions and followed the doctor. This Loki could wait, his sister couldn’t.

Dr Banner led him to a cubicle and drew back the curtain. He’d witnessed the horrors of war first hand and been drenched in the blood of his enemies more times that he remember but still the sight of his little sister lying in a hospital bed made him feel queasy.

Eris was lead there in a hospital gown with a blanket pulled up to her middle. Wires emerged from her left arm and feed into buzzing machines. Her hair was unnaturally tidy, a detail which made Ares disbelieve it was actually Eris. Her face looked the worse. He could see her gold blood dried in her eyelashes and webs of gold were visible across her abnormally pale skin, where her blood vessels had burst. 

“Did you have to use the powder?” He asked the Banner.

“No, actually the pot and the powder were destroyed.”

“So she did it by herself.” Ares said in awe.

“Yep.” Dr Banner replied. “She should be awake soon, I’m not sure when…”

“I’ll stay.”

 

“Okay, but if you need anything in the meantime, ask JARVIS.” Dr Banner said with a slight grin.

“The talking robot is here?”

“This is still Tony’s place.” Dr Banner called before he turned to leave.

Ares took the plastic chair next to his sister’s bed and waited.

-

Eris woke up in darkness. For a moment she thought she was died and she felt calm and serine. She led there not moving for what seemed like forever. Then she heard the gentle hum and buzz of machinery. The smell of disinfectant crawled up her nostrils. She sighed. So she wasn’t dead. 

Eris forced her eyes open and they attacked by blinding white light. She clamped them shut and let out a moan.

“I see you’ve finally decided to join the living.” Her brother’s voice greeted her. He sounded tired.

Eris gingerly opened her eyes to see her brother sat next to her in a plastic chair that was too small for his giant frame. His suit jacket was slung over the chair and his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. His face looked weary and gaunt. How long had he been here? She wondered.  
Eris made some unintelligible noise.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Like shit.”

“Yeah, you took a beating there.”

“Uh-huh, and don’t I know it.” She groaned.

Ares laughed.

“Hey! You shouldn’t be laughing at my pain.” She pouted.

“Maybe if it wasn’t self-inflicted.” He countered.

She paused for a moment and shifted around in her bed. “Ares, where am I?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re in the medical wing of the Avenger Tower.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you to come back to the land of the living.”

“Ares, you know what I mean. They’ll know your identity.”

“They owe me, and I know Tony. He’s an old friend.” Eris saw the smirk on her brother’s face and rolled her eyes.

“I’m not even going to ask.” Eris groaned pulling her blanket over head.

Ares chuckled.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Eris felt every part of her body ache, even though she was glad just to be alive.

“So, Loki of Asgard? The fallen prince?” Ares asked. “Is he going to be my new hood ornament?”

“If he’s still alive, if he is he doesn’t have a tongue.” Eris told him. No hint of humour in her voice which surprised Ares.

“Oh, he’s still alive.” He told her, Eris looked at him puzzled. “He’s in a secure medical facility, maximum security, of course. Not that I think that will stop him if he wanted to leave.”

Eris wasn’t sure if she felt happy at the news of Loki’s mortality or not. “Well, you don’t need to worry about decapitating him. Just try getting past Thor and ‘Asgardian Justice’ ” 

She waved her hand flippantly.

“Justice yes. If it’s in Asgard or Jotenheim is another matter.” Ares said causally.

Eris didn’t respond, hoping her brother would assume it was her weakened state to blame.

“I have talked to Thor.” He said to break the awkward silence.

“And?” She muttered.

“Will you let me finish?” he asked irritated.

“Depends if you’re going to say something interesting.”

“Your pleasant personality returned.” He muttered. “As I was saying, I was talking to Thor.” Eris forced herself deeper into the pillow and waited for the lecture on little siblings. “He has been in contact with his home world and Olympus has found out what has happened.”

“What? The actual world?” she asked sarcastically. 

“Let me finish.” Ares shot her a look. Still she knew what he was going to say next. “Mother and Father were not best pleased with what happened.”

“What else is new?” 

“Eris!” he exclaimed. “They want you to return home, to Olympus.”

“They can want all they like.” she snarled. The back of her throat ached.

“They are threatening to send the Furies if you don’t go of your own free will.” He continued grimly.

“They can’t!” she exclaimed, protectively drawing her knees up to her chest and ignoring her protesting limbs. “They have to find me first!”

“Eris, you’re hysterical!”

Eris ripped the tubes and wires off her arm and she closed her eyes and thought of where she wanted to go. She felt the energy vibrate around her. Suddenly a searing pain ripped through her body and she screamed.

“Eris!” Ares shouted. “Banner!”

“Why are you calling a scientist?” she barked.

“I worked as a medic for a few years.” Bruce told her as he drew back the curtain. “Now what happened?”

“I tried to teleport.” She told him.

“Before that she became hysterical.” Ares told him. Eris glared at him.

Bruce looked at Eris. “I think what you did stunted your powers.” He told her flatly. He looked up at her and smiled. “I don’t think Tony has finished his anti-magic project yet.”

Eris could see he was attempting to cheer him up.

“I wish him luck with that.” 

“Look, Eris I don’t think you should be using magic till you've rested and probably healed.” He sighed. “To be honest, I’m not sure about the effects on your physiology.”

“Thanks.” She replied dryly.

“Just get some rest and stop shouting.” He told her as he left. “Bye.”

“Bye.” She muttered.

“We need to talk about this.” Ares told her when Bruce was out of earshot. “When Thor returns. If you calm down you may not have to go home.”

“How are the boys?” She asked starring at anything but him.

“They’re fine. They’re pain in the arse but they’re my boys.” Ares shifted in the tiny chair. “Eris, wait till Thor returns before you decide to go AWOL.”

“You heard Bruce, I need to rest.” She told him, studying at the pattern on the blanket. 

“I’m just the messenger. I will not drag you back to Olympus.” Ares stood up and took his jacket of the chair. “Take care, Eris.” With that he left the room. 

She knew he wouldn’t be far anyway. Mostly likely he would staying in the nearest high class hotel.

Eris rolled onto her side and closed her eyes and let sleep claim her.

-

Days later, Eris wandered around the empty Avenger Tower, her bare feet padding against the cold flooring. Fortunately, they had giving her a tracksuit to wear in place of the embarrassing hospital gown. The thing is Bruce had informed the others she couldn’t teleport so they didn’t give her any shoes. As if that would stop her from getting out of here if she wanted to. And they left her on her own because they thought she was too weak.

The Avengers weren’t here, they were out doing something somewhere.

Eris continued wondering listlessly around, she still felt tired to the bone from absorbing the power of the apple and she was annoyed with herself for the way she acted with Ares.   
She had acted like a child, throwing a hissy fit at the mention of Olympus. She could chalk it up to just waking up but still she felt disgusted with herself for letting her brother see her like that. If it was anyone else she wouldn’t have cared but this was Ares, the brother who had stood by her through thick and thin.

Eris wandered up another part of the Avenger Tower; this part was below ground, well below ground. She wondered how Stark had managed to build it without hitting the subways. Although Eris still hadn’t regained her ability to teleport, her ability to manipulate electronic locks had returned almost immediately, although it still hurt to use it.  
Eris found a heavily locked door at the end of the corridor. They must be hiding something big behind it. She smiled to herself. She thought as she eyed the complex locking system. She placed her hand over it and winced. There was a clicking sound as the door swung open and Eris stepped through.

She walked into a room which appeared to be a stark cell apart from the hospital bed in the middle centre. Unlike hers a few floors up there was no machinery around it and this bed was occupied.

His skin blended in with the crisp white bedding. His black hair created a dark halo contrasting with his pale features.  
Eris exhaled. He looked like death.

She crept towards to the bed. They had his hands in some form of handcuff, either to stop his superhuman strength or Stark had finally made his ‘anti-magic’ machine.

She looked at the dark circles under his eyes. She reached out a hand to brush a stray hair away from his forehead. His skin was ice cold, Loki had always been cold both physically and metaphorically but this was different somehow. 

Quickly she placed two fingers on his neck. Her fingers were greeted by a faint heartbeat. She sighed. He wasn’t dead. That should have been obvious, why would the avengers keep a corpse in the basement?

Absorbing the power of the apple must have drained him more that it had her. 

He didn’t have to do it. She told the rising feeling of guilt. Remember you nearly bit his tongue off.

Remembering what happened to Loki’s tongue and partly out of morbid curiosity; Eris lent forward and gently opened Loki’s mouth. Placing her thumb on his lower lip she looked into his mouth. She nearly laughed when she saw it. His tongue was fine, completely healed. She should have expected it, with the power of the apple he had grown his tongue back.

Eris let go of his lip and lent back to study him.

Thoughts and feeling spun through her, none of which she wanted to focus on. Then his eyes twitched. Eris jumped back with a start, and then she leaned forward again. His brow creased as he pinched his eyes together. Then he let out a groan and his eyes fluttered open.

He looked at her with his piercing blue eyes. It felt like they were physically burning her.

“Eris,” he croaked. “I’m glad you’re the one to do it.” He shifted in the sheets. “I’d rather it be someone I care about than some faceless executioner.”

A sick feeling of realization settled in her stomach. 

“Fuck you.” She told him. She turned on her heels and left from the room.  
-  
“Next time Hydra attacks something, or anything I think we should be better prepared.” Tony stated as JARVIS removed his bullet ridded suit.

“I second that.” Clint muttered, nursing a swollen jaw.

“That means we need to train more as team, and you’re going to have to Hulk proof the training room again.” Steve groaned pulling his suit down to his waist and inspected his right shoulder.

“Seriously?” Tony exclaimed.

“What?” Steve turned to face Tony. Tony’s eyes were fixed on his chest. 

“With the whole…” Tony gestured to Steve’s chest, “thing.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “I’ve hurt my arm, Tony.”

Tony made his signature bitch face expression at Steve.

“I’m gonna leave you two alone before anything gets more intense.” Clint called. “Later guys.”

“I’m going to go check on my patent.” Bruce said.

“Oh yeah, how is chaos and whatever else she’s the goddess of, doing?” Tony asked.

~Not to interrupt sir, but Lady Eris is no longer in the infirmary~

“Where is she?” Tony asked.

~ Still in the building but her exact location is unknown to me, although the holding cell has been accessed~

“Shit!” Tony swore. “Loki?”

~Still there and still alive, sir~

“Thank fuck. At least this saves explaining to Thor when he gets back.”

“Wouldn’t you have to explain to Ares where his little sister’s ran off to?” Steve asked, a hint of jealously in his voice as he almost spat Are’s name.

“I don’t know what the hell your problem is with Ares and if you weren’t listening, JARVIS just said she hadn’t left the building.”

“How does he know if he can’t locate her now?”

“When she broke in here Jarvis couldn’t pick her up on his scanners, something to do with her manipulation of energy.” Bruce told them. “It seems she’s regaining her powers.”

“Great!” Tony exclaimed throwing his hands in the air.

~She hasn’t left the building as no exterior doors or windows have been opened ~

“She’s still too weak to teleport, it takes a lot of energy, remember the time she teleported Clint, it almost wiped her.”

“Fucking great! And where the fuck has Legolas gone?”

“Can you just stop swearing for a second?” Steve asked sharply. “We’re going to have to look for her, before she does something stupid.”

“Time to play hunt the unstable goddess!” Tony muttered. “I’ll take the labs and the conference rooms and if she’s touched the suits I’ll kill her.”

“I’m sure Ares will love that.” Steve barked sarcastically.

“Seriously, what is your problem?”

“Guys!” Bruce shouted. He took a moment to calm his breathing. “Eris is incredibly weak right now. Physically weak and possibly mentally unstable right now. We need to find her   
before she hurts herself or anyone else or your precious suits, Tony.”

“Okay.” Tony replied sheepishly. He was slightly freaked out by Bruce’s outburst.

“Your right,” Steve told him. “I‘ll take the upper levels, Bruce do you want to take the infirmary and the lower levels.”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s go.”

-

Steve’s mind kept going over his reaction to Tony mentioning Ares as he searched though the dining room. Ares was a good man, larger than life certainly, but that didn’t make him less of a good guy. Steve tried to convince himself it was because Ares was a mercenary, but Steve knew it wasn’t that.

He heard a muffled clicking sound. It sounded like it was coming from the broom cupboard. He crept up to the door like he was stalking a deer. He gently turned the door handle and threw the door back.

“Captain Amazing!” 

He’d found Eris.

She was sat on the floor of the tiny cupboard amongst the vacuum and the mops, nursing a bottle of vodka. There were deep bags under her eyes and her hair looked like a bird’s nest. That and the fact she was wearing a white tracksuit and was bare foot made her look like a mental health patient. Steve recalled the Bruce’s comment on her mental health.

“To the shit that comes with living!” she toasted bitterly as she held the bottle up and took a swig.

Steve sighed. 

“Are you alright?” he asked her.

Eris raised her eyebrows. “I’m sat in a cupboard getting drunk. What do you think?” 

Steve sighed again. “We’ve been looking for you.”

“The Avengers, Asgard, Olympus. Everyone seems to want a piece of me.” She told him. “Just let me stay here a bit longer before dragging me off.”

Steve stood there and sighed.

“I know we don’t get on but do you want to join me?” She asked sheepishly. 

“I can’t get drunk, super solider serum.” He told her.

Eris nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m an alien with an incredibly high alcohol tolerance. Come on,” she patted the space next to her. “I won’t do that thing I do. I want someone to talk to.”  
Eris looked so vulnerable. Steve sighed and sat down next to her.

“Do you want some?” She offered him the bottle.

“No thanks.”

“Go on, if you can’t get drunk, then what can happen?”

“Okay.” Steve took the bottle and took a swig. “Argh, is it meant to burn your throat?”

Eris laughed. “Yes. Have you never tired vodka before?”

“Nope, was it that obvious?”

“Kinda.” She held the bottle up and studied it. “Reminds me of the time I spent in Russia.”

“The revolution?” He thought of the photos they found of her in turn of the century Russia.

“Yes, one of the very few successful ones. Where the royal family weren’t perched back up on the throne before tea. Luckily they had the foresight to have them up against the wall and shot.” Eris took another drag.

“There was a photo of you at the Russian court.”

“Yes, I was there. It was a joke.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“ The Tsar would only surround himself by people who would tell him good news. And the fact they were so inbred meant they were half-wits or inflicted with diseases which lead to nutcase con artist, Rasputin to gain control at court and do whatever he wanted. He was a pervert.” Eris paused to take another mouthful of vodka. “They were too blinded by their own trivial problems to sort out their country. The few had everything whilst the poor dug around for their scraps.”

He was amazed at her passion, more so her anger for the royal family since he knew was actually part of one herself.

“So you toppled the regime?” 

“Don’t give me that much credit, the right word in the right ear helped but it was really Lenin. He was a fantastic man.” Eris sighed wistfully. “Such a driven and powerful man, if he saw Stalin’s Russia, he would have wept. He would have wept if he saw Russia today.”

“Did you and Lenin…you know?”

Eris raised an eyebrow at Steve’s prudishness. “Yes, when he was in exile in Siberia. It may sound sad but I may have cried when he married his wife.”

“It doesn’t sound sad at all.”

Steve shifted awkwardly on the hard floor. “You’re not hiding here because of Loki, are you? We found out his cell had been accessed.”

Eris showed no surprise that they knew about her visiting Loki. “The bastard’s tongue grew back, did you know that?”

“Yeah, after you tried to bit it out.” Steve said flatly.

“Are you trying to make me feel guilty?”

Steve sighed. Talking to her like this was pointless.

“Ask me about something else, besides Loki.” She told him.

Steve didn’t know why he was asking her this but he did anyway. “Your brother and Tony how well do they know each other?”

Eris looked at him in amusement. “They met at some science convention I dragged him to years ago. They’re friends, I’m not sure what else. I don’t really take an interest in my brother’s love life.”

Steve’s heart sank as he heard this.

Eris saw the hurt in his face, from her ambiguous answer. “Don’t worry about my brother stealing Stark, it’s a bit of fun for him. They haven’t seen each other in years.”

“Till now.”

“Yeah. This is why who ever had a thing for him should get in there right now.” She nudged Steve in the ribs suggestively.

He laughed. “You really are drunk.”

“Well, this is my second bottle.” She declared, tossing the now empty bottle in the corner to join it’s brother.

“So, Loki? Is he the reason you’re here?”

“He wishes,” she muttered. “I don’t know what to think about him anymore.”

“You don’t think he’s completely evil.”

“He helped me absorb the energy of the apple, it’s probably the only reason I survived it. But he was the one who put in that situation in the first place, and there are all the things he says, it just…”

“What things?” Steve felt that he could be using this for intel gathering but he felt more strongly that she needed someone to confide in.

“He told me he would never do anything to hurt me days before the apple was stolen. And just now, I found him in that hospital cell and he woke up and told me he was glad it would be me who would kill him.” Eris voice when up in pitch as she finished her sentence.

Steve put his arm around him to comfort her. The angry, spiteful goddess who had ripped the arc reactor out of Tony’s chest was nearly a completely different person. 

“If Loki trying to screw with my head wasn’t bad enough, I am going to be dragged back to Olympus for this.”

“Let me guess, inter realm politics?”

“Give the man a medal.” She told him as she mimed pinning a medal to Steve’s chest. “Daddy is going to drag me out in front of the court to humiliate me, yell at me, let the others teach me a lesson again. Then and only then will I revive a punishment worthy of my crime.”

“What crime?”

“He’ll think of something, running away from court, the whole Civil War thing will be dragged up again. Something I did eons as an angry child is being used against me. Sometimes I wish they would just tie me to a stake and burn me, get it over and done with.” 

“Will they do that?” Steve asked.

“No, as royalty I can’t be executed. It’s the same nearly everywhere. As you’ll always have Loki to worry about thanks to that.” She sighed. “Olympus is well known for unusual punishments, rolling rocks up hills, turned into some hidieous monster or even married off.” She laughed slightly hysterically at the last one.

“Marriage?”

“Not the way you think about marriage, it’s a way of keeping said person, normally a woman out of the way and under control. Compared with the others its not that bad”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

“How do you know this will happen?” He asked tightening his arm around her.

“Ares told me when I work up that my presence was being demanded in Olympus. That bastard threatened to send the Furies to fetch me.” She whimpered into Steve’s shoulder. “I can’t run from them.”

“It’ll be fine.” He told her.

“Don’t lie to me.” She murmured into the fabric of this suit.

“I’m not.” He told her. 

-

“She was drinking vodka?” Ares asked, taking a sip of his whiskey and soda. They were in some high class bar, with Tony. Somehow Bruce was conveniently busy and Clint and 

Natasha were off on a mission. Not that he was not enjoying himself. Ares was good company.

“Yeah.” Steve replied, “She was a bit drunk.” 

“Don’t tell me she made a pass at you.” Tony interjected.

“No, thank God no.” He caught a glimpse of the dark expression on Ares face. “Not that your sister isn’t an attractive woman. She’s just not…”

“She’s just not what?” Ares asked darkly.

Steve felt himself turn redder and redder. “She’s, she’s just not my type.” Steve looked at Ares and saw a grin crack his serious face. Then Ares and Tony burst out laughing. 

Steve felt like an idiot.

“You should have seen you face.” Tony told him.

“Thanks.”

“No, I’m only messing with you, Rogers.” He declared. “I’m betting Eris was harping on about the Russian Revolution and that guy. She does it every time. For the so-called Goddess of Chaos, she is predictable some times.”

“Pretty much, apart from the fact she was on about being forced to go back to Olympus. She was…scared.”

“It’s starting to sound like you care about this bitch, cap.” Tony told him. He turned to Ares. “No offence.”

“ None taken, I’m related to her.” Ares took another sip of his drink and looked seriously at Steve. “They want her home, where they can keep an eye on her. And as our father has   
warned me, he will send the Furies to fetch her.”

“So what is her crime then?” Tony asked, taking off his sunglasses.

“Besides being a pain, nothing.” Ares stated bitterly. “And there is nothing I can do to stop my sister from being thrown in some hellhole somewhere on Olympus.”

“She muttered something about being married off.” Steve prompted.

Ares’ face hardened, “I doubt our father would do that, there isn’t a soul on Olympus who could keep her in line. Plus last time he did it, backfired.”

The table fell into awkward silence and Ares drifted off into a world of his own thoughts. 

The silence made Tony’s skin itch.

“We can sit here and mop or we could have some fun!” He declared, grabbing both Ares’ and Steve’s shoulder.

“I agree and lets leave any talk of my sister out of tonight!” Ares replied, grabbing Tony’s shoulder in return,

“Couldn’t have asked for anything better.” 

“Okay then! Let’s do it” Steve declared.

-  
The clouds above Stark tower began to darken and swirl into a vortex. It sight of it made Tony shudder, it looked too much like wormhole he fell out of, for his liking. He turned away from the window and walked towards one of his screens.

“JARVIS, open the roof door for Thor. I don’t want him breaking it again.”

~Certainly, sir. Shall I alert the others?~

“Why? What are they doing?” Tony asked as he redrew the blue print for the hundredth time. The signature lightning bolt and thunder sound signified Thor’s return.

~ Clint, Eris, Natasha and Steve are in the training room.~

“Training?”

~I believe so, sir.~

“Thanks, JARVIS.” Somehow the idea of Eris training with the rest of team didn’t sit right with him. He didn’t trust her. Besides that her brother was one of his friends, it still didn’t   
change the fact she had used him as a hostage by ripping his arc reactor out of his chest. She’d left him powerless. He wasn’t going to let the cow do it again.

Tony lent back to admire the new blueprint. After studying the changing conditions in the Avenger Tower every time Eris teleported in or out, this should stop her. Well, if he could get it work.

Moments later he heard the pound of heavy footsteps. He didn’t need to look up to see who it was.

“Hi Thor. How’s Asgard?” Tony called to him.

“Greeting Stark. Where is the Lady Eris? I need to talk to her.” Tony took one look at the tense look on Thor’s face and decided against any remark.

“In the gym with the guys.” Tony flatly.

Thor took no notice of Tony’s tone and thanked him before striding out the room, most likely to the training room.

~Should I tell the others of Thor’s arrival, sir~

“Nah.”

-

Eris’s back slammed against the training mat again with a thud.

Natasha’s silhouette blocked out the light. “You’re getting better.” She observed.

Eris gritted her teeth and took the hand Natasha offered her. Instead of pulling herself up, she pulled hard on it, pulling Natasha forward and throwing her elbow into her jaw. Using her momentum and Eris’s arm under her jaw, Eris pushed her backwards, tripping her up over her out stretched leg. Natasha hit the mat.

“How was that?” She asked.

“Hmm better.” Natasha laughed as they both led, sprawled on the mat.

“Hey ladies,” they looked up to see Clint walking up to them. “As much as I love watching girls fight, can I have my sparring partner back?”

“Yeah, sure.” Eris got up, taking that as her que to have a drink. She walked over to the bench and picked up her drink bottle and took a gulp, before wiping the sweat off her face with a towel.

This was actually fun, she thought to herself.

“Are you alright?” Steve asked after he practically drained his water bottle.

“I’m fine, it’s someone stole my sparring partner.” She told him and she watched Clint and Natasha go at each other like pit vipers. She turned to Steve. “You fancy fighting a   
Goddess?”

“Uh, I’m more of a boxer.”

“Don’t worry,” she told him. “Tell me, are you any good with a short stick?” she asked, tossing him a two foot length of rattan cane. 

“I guess we’re gonna fine out.” He said following her to the mat.

Eris stood opposite him, her feet shoulder length apart. She placed the cane diagonally across her chest and bowed. Steve copied her.

“Ready?” She asked.

Before he could get the words out she attacked, bringing the stick in an arch to hit his shoulder. He blocked, using his strength to push her away, he opened up her left side. Steve went to attack her exposed ribs, Eris quickly rolled out of the way, and she slammed her stick into the back of knee as came out the roll. Luckily for her, this forced him to drop to one knee. This gave her the opening she needed. She jumped onto Steve’s back. Steve sensed what she was going to do and grabbed her off his back then threw her onto the mat in front of him. Eris landed with a thump and her short stick bounced out of her grasp. She opened her eyes to see Steve holding his stick at her throat like it was a sword.

“I forget you have super human strength.” She told him as he pulled her up.

“Don’t you, being an alien like Thor?”

“We’re a different species from them, so we don’t get super cool, super strength.” She sighed, picking up her stick.

“Speaking of Thor.” 

As he spoke, Thor threw the doors to the training rooms open. He looked somewhere between stressed and annoyed.

“Fancy a round?” Eris offered, twirling the stick like a majorette. 

“I need to speak with you.” Thor pointed his hammer at her as if to stress the urgency in her voice. 

Eris’s heart sank. “Now or can I at least shower?”

“By all means, Lady Eris. You can bathe but meet me in the conference room as soon as you are able.”

The look on his face made Eris think twice about arguing with him.

“Can we tag along?” Clint asked. “If this is about Loki I want to know.”

“Yes.” Thor replied. “There is nothing to talk about which I cannot share with my team mates.”

“Sweet.” Clint called, secretly hoping that they were about to hear that Loki was finally leaving this place.

-

As she planned, Eris was the last into the conference room and it looked like the Avengers were all here to hear what Thor had to say. Eris told herself they weren’t gossip mongers they just needed to know about threats to their planet as she took her seat.

Thor looked at her. “As you know, Loki is to face trail in Asgard for his crimes both committed here and on Earth. The theft of the Golden Apple of Chaos will be added to his list of crimes.”

“Why?” Eris asked. “He’s royal blood or at least meant to be, he will not be executed for his crimes.”

The angry expression on Clint’s face betrayed the fact he hadn’t contemplated this being Loki’s get out of jail free card.

“Lady Eris, it is not for you to criticize the judgement of the All Father, he has kept peace in between our realms for decades.”

Eris rolled her eyes. “Yes, after more decades of bloody war, with just about everyone.”

Thor ignored her, there was some truth in what she was saying but to acknowledge her was to let her undermined him. Then there would be no way she would listen to what he needed to say.

“You will come to Asgard to testify at Loki’s trail.” He told her.

“What if I don’t want to? Maybe I just don’t fancy it.”

Bruce sat there wondering how far Eris could push Thor until he snapped. By the look of disbelief on his face, he didn’t think it would take long.

“Eris, you knew my brother and you are a direct victim of his crime, you will speak at his trail.”

Eris cringed at the word ‘victim’. 

“I don’t need to do anything.” She told him as she leant back in her chair. “If you must know, I am also wanted in Olympus so we might a scheduling problem.”

“We have spoken to your people and they agree you can stay in Asgard for the duration of the trail.”

Tony smirked at the look of ‘Oh, fuck’ on Eris’s face.

Eris thought to herself, that if she was in Asgard for the trail, she wouldn’t have to return to Olympus. Although it could mean delaying the inevitable, before the Asgardians   
boxed her up and send her to Olympus.

“How do expect me to get to Asgard? After the rainbow bridge shattered and all. I doubt there’s a airport.”

“We have a way. Rest assure.”

“After the trail what will happen to me?”

Thor looked confused. She had caught him off guard. “I wanted to speak to you to offer a chance for you to speak up for my brother’s crimes against you. I thought you would have been glad to have your voice heard. Afterwards you will return to your people as have already guessed.”

“Seeing Loki humiliated and reduced to sludge however appealing is nothing compared to my own survival and my freedom. If I return to Olympus both those things will be taken from me.” She leaned across the table to Thor. “You came here today and you ordered me to go to Asgard, you gave me no choice in the matter and you expect me to obey you? I am not a busty serving wench, Thor!”

The other Avengers sat there in silence, watching the argument between the two Gods unfold.

“Olympus stated you were to return there after the trail.” Thor stated.

“So, therefore I have no opinion in how I lead my life. I am to spend my time being passed around like a library book.” 

Tony immediately thought of several other, much better and dirtier metaphors she could have used.

“This is complicated politics…” He began.

Eris laughed in disbelief. “Yet I am still a person, with a mind and independent thought! I wonder how that factors into your politics.” 

She stood up waiting for Thor or any of the others to say something. They stayed silent. She turned and left the room in frustration.

“I hate to be the one to tell you this but you really could have handled that better.” Clint told him.

“You think I do not know that?” Thor barked back.

“Seriously, I don’t like her but I was about to give her a standing ovation just now.” 

Thor sighed. “I will not make up excuses but I am under a very large amount of pressure.”

Natasha raised her eyebrow. That was an excuse if she ever heard one.

“Still, pushing her into a corner like that was cruel, you did know she hated her home world, if I didn’t know better I would say she was scared?” Steve asked.

The defeated look on Thor’s face told him that he didn’t. 

-

Eris walked out that room and wanted to scream. How dare they? That was the only thought that echoed through her head. She wanted to run away, leave everything and just run.   
She couldn’t. This was the safest place to be till her full powers returned besides. Still she needed to get away from them but then again she felt so helpless and alone. This time the broom cupboard would be their first port of call. She closed her eyes and thought of somewhere the Avengers would never go, even in their own home.

Eris opened her eyes to find herself inside Loki’s cell. 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fancy writing the night out with Steve, Tony and Ares, maybe I'll do it some time.
> 
> I haven't finished what final idea on what the furies will be. In Greek mythology they were born of the blood of Uranus, and their soul job was tormenting people who had killed family. They were meant to have snakes for hair and copper wings.
> 
> And...  
> Sisyphus- guy who is forced to roll a rock up a hill only to have it fall back down again  
> Medusa- turned from a beautiful woman into a gorgon, with snakes for hair and the ability to turn men into stone.  
> Aphrodite- not really a punishment but was married off for being so damn hot
> 
> Also I wanted to explain what she was doing in Russia during the revolution.


	12. What's a girl to do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eris tries to control her own fate.
> 
> chapter title from yet another song, What's a girl to do

Fury was having a typically stressful day. There were the HYDRA attacks that were becoming more and more aggressive and frequent, the Madripoor mission that went south and the intel Clint and Natasha gathered was less than positive. As if that wasn’t bad the Council was on his back about the alien technology that Doom had got his hands on and the possibility of unitizing it for the good of the planet, which roughly translated as weaponry and the cherry on the cake was defiantly the return of Loki.  
Right now he was just looking forward to a few minutes peace.  
He pushed his office door open and leant against his desk was the woman he recognized as the alien Eris. She was wearing a black skirt and white shirt, she appeared to be unarmed but that meant nothing.

“What the hell are you doing in office?” he demanded.

Unthawed, she walked up to him and offered him her hand. “Director Fury, pleasure to meet you, as you probably already know I’m Eris.”

Fury looked at the hand she offered for him to shake, and then he looked up at her face. “Ms. Eris, I’ve heard a lot about you. Now tell me what the hell you are doing in my office.”

Eris dropped her hand, apparently unaffected by Fury’s social insult. “I have a proposal to put forward to you. If you’d just here me out we can find it is mutually beneficial.”

Fury contemplated for a moment. The fact she could help him with at least one of his problems helped sway his judgement. 

“Okay, take a seat.”

Eris moved into the hard plastic seat opposite the desk to Fury’s comfortable leather one. This cheap intimidation tactic was almost cute.

Fury took his seat. “So, you broke into my office in a high security compound to offer me something. So offer?”

“First, breaking in would imply I had to break something to get in.” Eris gestured to the room around her. “Nothing is broken.”

Fury didn’t react; in fact his only movement was to blink at her with his one eye. 

Eris nearly frowned at his lack of reaction but carried on anyway. “I want asylum.”

“Asylum?” Fury repeated.

“Yes, Asylum here on Earth. I am here because I fear prosecution in my own world and wish to live a peaceful life here, on Earth.”

“Why?”

“I like the weather.” She told him.

Fury decided he wasn’t going to get a sight answer out of her. “What can you offer me in exchange for this Asylum?”

Eris decided to play maybe her weakest card but her safest first. “I can offer you Loki’s operations on Earth, during the time frame in which your people didn’t know he was here.   
I’m guessing that something Thor neglected to tell you. But I can offer you every business partner, every venture he went into and every single name he went under.”

“How do I know this will be real, not just something you just made up to gain your asylum?”

“You will be able to verify his dealings after I tell you about them.” She told him bluntly.

“Anything else?” Fury asked, his face betraying nothing. “I’m gonna need some more meat take to the Council.”

Eris paused for a second. Then smiled. “I will become an asset for SHIELD and I will work with this organisation within reason.”

Fury closed his eye and leaned back on his chair. “Thank you Eris, we’ll get back to you.” He told her.

“Do you want my number?” she purred.

“Trust me, we’ll find you if we want you.”

It wasn’t a yes or a no. It was a maybe and a maybe mean there was a chance. And just for effect Eris made a point of teleporting out of the chair in Fury’s office.

-

Loki was well enough to travel, or well enough to stand but weak enough not to pose a threat. This meant he was going to be transported back to Asgard as soon as possible. Thor looked across the kitchen to where Eris was standing. She would be a key in his trail; hopefully she could sway the All Father into showing mercy. Truth be told, Thor wasn’t sure what Odin would do to Loki.

Thor walked over to where Eris stood. 

“Lady Eris,” he called. She ignored him. “I need to apologize for the way I spoke to you, I had no right to speak to you like that.”

“Apology accepted.” She told him. Still she didn’t turn around to face him. 

“I know you do not wish to go back to Olympus, I understand that you weren’t treated well there.”

Eris turned to face him. “How do you know about my time in Olympus?”

Thor glanced down at the floor. “I spoke with your brother, he told me nothing specific. He didn’t need to.”

He looked back to Eris’s face. Eris saw the pitying look in his eyes. She wanted to slap him.

“At the end of Loki’s trail we will not send you off to Olympus if you do not wish it.”

Eris felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest. “How very generous of you.”

“You are not a prisoner, have committed no crime against Asgard and therefore we cannot stop you of you wanted to leave.”

“Thank you.” Eris smiled at Thor. “But you’ve spoken to my brother so you should know Olympus is sending an escort team of Furies to ensure neither of us escapes.”

A grin spread across Thor’s face. “A flock of squawking furies shouldn’t be any trouble.”

She turned back to worktop and picked up her coffee cup. Somehow his arrogance wasn’t very comforting.

“You really want me to speak at your brother’s trail?” It was more of a statement than a question.

“My brother is troubled, and he has done many things, but he is still my brother. If someone could speak in his favour it might help him.”

“You want that person to be me? After what he did?”

“Yes,” Thor sighed. “Banner told me he saved you.”

Eris looked at him sceptically. “He needs help not an execution.”

Eris looked at Thor, he reminded her of Ares. The big brother who always looked after her, regardless of what she did or who with. Thor was trying to do exactly that for Loki.  
“Okay, I will go to Asgard. I will speak at his trail, but I will not sing his praises. I will tell them what happened.” She wasn’t sure if she was telling Thor the truth.

“That is all I wanted.” Thor grinned.

-

Eris perched herself on the desk of Fury’s secretary’s desk. He looked up at her. She opened her mouth and a snake slithered out from between her teeth. The young man’s eyes bulged.

“Can I help you, mam?” He sounded calm, not scared. Eris reached to pull the snake out of her mouth and watched it curl around her fingers. Eris saw his hand reach under his desk. It was either a panic button or a gun he was reaching for. No wonder he was secretary, he wouldn’t know subtly if it slapped him in the face, she thought.

“Now, let’s get your hands out from under the desk, and leave you little weapon alone.” She purred, leaning forward to place her hand on his arm. He looked up at her. His eyes were like saucers and she could practically smell the sweat, he was terrified and Eris loved it.

“What do you want?” he spluttered.

Eris smiled, exposing two rows of perfect white teeth.

“Leave the boy alone!” 

Eris turned to see Fury march toward his office. She jumped off the desk and straightened her skirt. The snake had seemingly vanished into thin air.  
“I was only seeing how well trained your staff were.” She told him innocently.

Fury glared at her with his one eye. “I have already told the team Jamie called to stand down, I suggest if you don’t want them to be recalled then you follow me.”  
Fury didn’t wait for an answer, and turned to walk into his office. Eris went to follow, before winking at Jamie.

-

Fury stood behind his desk but didn’t sit down, nor did he motion for Eris to sit down. Knowing the man’s temperament for quite literally an angry Cyclops, Eris couldn’t tell which way this was going.

Fury didn’t say anything. He just stared at her.

“Are you going to say anything?”

“That little stunt of yours, is it a little game you crazed gods like to play with my agents?” He demanded, “Maybe it’s because you people believe you’re better than us humans. Or   
that real law, don’t apply to people like you.”

Seems a bit like pot calling the kettle black, Eris thought. She didn’t say it, she knew not to angry an already angry bear.

“You called me here, Fury.” she asked.

He blinked in surprise, he was expect some sarcastic comment not a question.

“Yes, I did. It’s about your demand for Asylum.”

“Yes.”

Fury inhaled. “The Council have decided to deny you Asylum on this planet, a decision I wholly support.” He looked at Eris for any signs of her reaction. Her face was unreadable. “There will be an escort team from your home world to escort you to Asgard for the Loki’s trail.”

Fury’s hand hovered over his gun, the other on the alarm button. But she didn’t move. She just stood there.

After what seemed like hours she looked up from the desk to Fury, she looked perfectly calm, like the sea before a storm.

“Then all I can do is thank you for your help.” She told him, before disappearing.

Fury relaxed his grip on his gun and pressed the intercom.

“Jamie, get me Captain Rogers on the phone, we have a potential time bomb on our hands.”

-

Loki felt something heavy land on his bed. He didn’t bother to open his eyes. He could guess who it was.

“Get your hammer off my bed and get out.” He barked

“I’ve never heard it called that before.” 

Loki smiled to himself. She was back. “Eris, what do I owe this pleasure?”

She was sat on the side of his bed in some smart skirt and jacket, not the most exciting thing he’d seen her wear.

“I’ve come to finish what I started.” She leaned back and placed one leg over the other. “I’m going to cut out the rest of your tongue.”

Loki propped himself up with on his elbows. “Really?” he asked casually.

“No, not really.” She said flippantly. “Your tongue was one of my favourite things about you.”

Loki smiled. “Was?”

She looked away, to hide her expression.

“Answer me this, do you wish to go back to Asgard?”

Loki’s expression hardened. “What do you think?”

“I was thinking that maybe you would relish the attention from mummy and daddy. It’s a chance to get more attention from your ham fisted brother.”

“I am not some spoiled child.”

Eris made a disbelieving look.

“You think I want to go on trial? Let me remind you I escaped Asgard and I can do it again.”

“Maybe you won’t have to.”

Loki cocked his head and smiled. “What are you planning?”

Eris smiled at him and leaned forward. 

“Something you’ll enjoy, very much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of other avengers here, but I wanted some interaction between her and Fury, before the furies turn up.
> 
> Btw action next chapter, so please keep reading


	13. Ours is the Furie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So time to return to Asgard for poor old Loki and Eris has come. More so for Eris as her Furie escort team are to arrive to ensure she behaves and goes to where she should.  
> But of course, there's always a way to get out of these situations.

They stood in the empty field. They stood strategically in a ‘v’ Bruce and Steve stood at the front, followed by Thor and Tony, then Clint and Natasha and finally Eris and Loki stood at the centre. Loki muzzled and chained up like a vicious dog, Eris looked over at him and smirked she kind of liked him all tied up. If she didn’t know better she would have said, Clint and Natasha were had been placed so close to keep her and Loki in line.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love standing in a field, being exposed and all,” Clint called out. “But we'v been here for ages.”

“Let’s all go home then, I’ll make dinner.” Eris called back.

Clint smirked. “Bet you’d love that.”

“Defiantly.” She sighed.

Clint turned his attention back to the empty field.

“They should be here soon, prepare yourself.” Thor called.

“Aren’t they meant be on our side?” Bruce asked.

Eris gave a short laugh.

“Be prepared for anything.” Steve called.

Just as he spoke a swirling column of light descended from the sky. Eris closed her eyes, she only hoped Loki had done the same. The swirling column of light decent into the field, getting brighter and brighter, the closer it got the brighter it pulsed. Then it hit the field, sending out a bright pulse of light.  
Natasha’s vision went blank for a second, when it came back she could have sworn, Eris had grabbed Loki’s face. But her attention was drawn to where the column of light had struck the field.

Stood there in dull leather amour and golden chain mail stood three figures of immense stature. Each had a pair of gigantic copper wings that glinted in the sun. The largest of the three stepped forward, unlike the other two, her helmet bore an eagle half emerged from the crown of the wearer’s head.

“We are here for the Princess Eris.” Her voice rang out across the field.

Steve stood forward to meet her. “Hello, welcome to Earth.” The mountain of a woman looked at him the way an owl looks at a mouse. “I am Captain America, we were lead to believe you and your detail were acting as an escort party for Eris whilst she was in Asgard.”

“Plans have changed.” She stated. “The Mighty Zeus has requested his daughter is returned to him immediately to receive her punishment.”

“I am Thor, Prince of Asgard. I demand to know what crime she has committed.” Thor declared, the deep tenor of his voice dwarfed that of the Furie. 

“She ran from Olympus.”

“Seriously?” Hawkeye muttered.

The Furie turned to face him. “Yes, Mighty Zeus wants her to return as soon as possible.”

“No offence but your dad seems like a jerk.” Hawkeye whispered to Eris. Her lip quirked up into a brief smile.

Thor strode forward, his hammer in hand. “We had an agreement! Eris was to come to Asgard and speak at the trial of my brother, THEN she would return to Olympus!”

The Furie looked at him impassively. “The Agreement is off, we will take the Princess and do what we deem fit with her.”

Eris felt terror crept up her back as the Furie spoke, death would seem like a blessing after what they would do. 

Silence descended on the field. Then Bruce stepped forward. The rest of the Avengers held their breath. 

“You talk about her as she’s an object, but I don’t know if you could understand this, but she has free will.”

The Furie looked at him curiously. “What are you trying to tell us, mortal?”

“I am saying you can’t just drag her around like she’s a doll.”

“Why not, moral?”

“Because that would make me very angry, and you won’t like me when I’m angry.”

The Furie gave a snort, “If you won’t give her up we will take her,” She looked at Bruce. “Just like a doll.”

The smug look on the Furie’s face was it. Bruce was no longer in control; the other guy was.

The Hulk leaped towards the Furie, closing the distance between them, he then grabbed her and threw the leader across the field like a football. The Hulk let out snarl.  
In response the remaining Furies took to the air, supported by their metal wings.

“You will pay for that!” they screeched in unison. They brought their wings forward.

“Duck!” Eris screamed as a hail of sharp metal feathers flew towards them. She was able to cast a force field around herself, Loki, Clint and Natasha in time. Steve covered him and Thor in time and the projectiles simply bounced off Tony’s suit and the Hulk’s skin.

The Furies hissed in annoyance revealing their forked tongues and swooped down.

“Jesus Christ! Normally I like chicks!” Tony yelled as he missed one.

Natasha’s brow knitted together. “Will he ever stop that?” she asked Clint as she fired at the other, the Furie's metal wings defected the bullets with ease.

“Doubt it.” Clint fired an arrow at the lead one who had returned to join the fight. The arrow released an electrifying net onto the Furie and she dropped like a stone.

Eris stumbled back from the chaos of the fight. She tripped and fell into something hard, like a chest plate. 

“Where are trying to run to, princess?” the Furie hissed as she clamped her arms around Eris’s struggling body and pulled her up into the air. “I have her!” she declared. “Your fight is over!”

Everyone turned to look at the Furie clutching Eris.

Eris stopped struggling. “What if I told you I’m not really a princess?” She smiled at the confusion on everyone’s face. Then reached back for the blade kept at the back and drove it into the gap in the Furie's armor. The Furie screamed and released her hold on Eris. Eris landed gracefully on her feet. But not how Eris would normally move, the Natasha who had spent hours in the training rooms fighting Eris knew something was off.

“Captain,” Natasha hissed. “That’s not Eris.”

Steve guestured that he had heard her with a quick movement of his fingers.

“Iron man can you locate Loki?” Steve called out.

“There!” Steve looked in the direction where Tony’s armored finger was pointing. Loki had his legs wrapped around the waist of the last remaining Furie, whist she tried to slash at him with her razor sharp wings. Loki reared back and drove a dagger into the Furie’s exposed throat. The Furie gagged and spluttered as she fell. Loki pushed himself off the falling Furie and back flipped into a standing position. 

He was fighting less like a snake and more like a cat, more like Eris. Natasha thought.

Steve nodded to Hawkeye.

Eris teleported over to where Loki stood, Loki turned to smile at her, placing his hand around her waist.

"Ready love?" He asked.

"Come on, let's go some where hot." she replied

Then the arrows hit them and hundreds of bolts raced through their bodies and they dropped to the floor.

“Nice shot, Legolas.” Tony told him.

“Yer think?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Natasha is a genius because she is a master spy and can read body language like adverts on public transport.  
> Bruce being all noble because he hated being hunted and trapped by the colonel so deeply hates anyone trying to do the same to anyone else.  
> Oh and everything else will be explained next chapter...


	14. Misunderstood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers figure out what to with Loki and Eris after they tried to escape.

“They swapped bodies?” Steve asked.

“Or maybe just appearances.” Bruce offered.

“That would make sense considering they seemed to swap fighting styles.” Natasha clarified. “I saw her hold his face as the Furies arrived. I believe she cast a spell.”

“She did?” Thor asked.

“Yeah, there was no way Loki could have done anything with those cuffs on.” Tony said. “But what I don’t understand is how Loki got out of them.”

“Because we only designed them for him.” Bruce said.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“The thing is what are we gonna do now?” Clint asked. “I can’t keep shocking them forever.”

“We’ll get them to swap back, if they haven’t done so already.” Steve told them.

Tony looked at slight smirk on Steve’s face. “What you gonna do?”

Steve turned to Tony and smiled.

-

Eris’s eyes fluttered open as she awoke, he body ached. She tilted her head down and found her palms that were cuffed together in her lap, her skin was pale and she was wearing a lot of green leather. For a second she was confused. Then it hit her, she wasn’t in her own body, she was in Loki’s. She laughed to herself, it sounded deeper and richer than her own.

“I see you’ve finally awoken.” A familiar female voice asked.

Eris turned to see herself looking straight at her.

“This is beyond strange.” She remarked, looking at herself, it was more than unnerving watching herself move. “Though I have to say I look good.”

Eris’s body smiled back at her. “Indeed, I was just wondering why we never tried this before, for more recreational purposes.”

Eris smirked. “It would have certainly been fun.” She looked at herself and suggestively licked Loki’s lips.

Loki laughed in Eris’s voice. “I have been told I am a narcissist on more than one occasion.”

“Really? I never would have guessed, Loki.” Eris smiled and turned to face the wall of, what she guessed was a van. “They have us in the back of a van.” She told him, with obvious disgust in her voice.

“Yes, you really would have thought they would have somewhere nicer to but supposed super villains such as ourselves.” Loki replied.

“You forget, I’m not villain.”

“Let me guess, you’re just misunderstood?”

She let out a snort. “ Something like that.”

There was long pause. “Eris, I..” Loki began as the van door sliding open and sunlight flooded in.

“Yep their awake now,” Clint’s voice called out. “Not sure which one’s which yet.”

“Great.” Another voice called out. “Thor, come with me.”

Steve and Thor clambered into the back of the van. Suddenly the van seemed so much smaller, Loki thought.

“Eris, Loki.” Steve addressed them. “I’m guessing you’ve swapped bodies to fight the Furies then run away together.” 

They both stayed silent and stared at him blankly. 

“Okay,” 

Steve sighed in annoyance.

“Brother,” Thor began; he was looking directly at Eris in Loki’s body. Something both her and Loki found amusing. “We are going back to Asgard, this petty attempt to escape failed again. Come back to Asgard with your dignity attached.”

Eris looked at him with Loki’s eyes and she wondered what Loki really saw. “I didn’t realize that being dragged through the royal court in chains was dignified.”

Thor eyes grew wide for a second, till he realised. “Lady Eris, you are still in my brother’s body.”

Eris smiled. “Maybe.”

“Or maybe we’re back in our own bodies or you’re just too stupid to have figured it out.” Loki said.

“Ok, if that’s how you want to play this. The communist revolution in Russia, either of you remember that?” Steve looked between the two poker faces. “I swear the entire royal family was butchered and some nutcase took over, What was his name? Ah lemon? Lenny? Lenin?” Steve saw mouth twitch on Loki’s body. It wasn’t a lot but he had an idea on which one was which. “Well, maybe it was the booze; I hear homemade vodka does things.” I t was confirmed by Loki's jaw tightening. "He looked to Eris. "Eris?"

She bit Loki’s lip in annoyance, more so because she had told these things to Steve in confidence. “Now, are you satisfied with the fact it’s me in this body or do you want to poke around some more. I’m only saying this, because I might do poke back, quite hard.”

He looked at Eris in Loki’s body, distrust seemed to be burning from the eyes. He felt a twinge of guilt, maybe he had picked up one too many things from Natasha.

“So are you going to uncuff me. Or do we just hang around in this tiny van till the Rise of the Titians?”

“What do you mean?”

“I would have thought that was obvious, even to someone like you, the star spangled prat.” Loki told him from Eris’s body.

Eris sighed in Loki’s voice, “Physical contact and access to my power is needed. You’ve made that a bit hard for me. If you just uncuff me, maybe I’ll be able to swap us back.” She gestured to the handcuffs around Loki’s slender wrists. “Can you tell Tony and Bruce that I find these things absolutely amazing?” 

Steve raised an eyebrow. “Come on.”

Loki and Eris were pushed out the van and out into the field.

“Do you know which ones which yet?” Clint called.

“Come on, that’s a hell of a challenge.” Tony called out. “They both magical psychopaths.”

“If only I had a window to throw you out of again.” Loki purred in Eris’s warm voice.

“This one’s the douche who an army but we still kicked his ass.” Tony declared pointing at Eris’s body.

“So, how are we going to get them back to normal?” Bruce asked as he pulled a sweatshirt on over his head.

“You’re going to have to take these off.” Eris gestured to the handcuffs which blocked the use of her magic.

“How do we know we can trust you?” Clint asked, to him it felt like a stupid question but it still needed asking. He had a few problems dealing with the fact Eris was now in Loki’s body, the man Clint would love to kill.

“Think about it, she her escape plan just failed, we still have her and Loki. She can’t stay here, the Security Council put her on the high alert list, most of SHIELD would be after her and she’s mot in her own body. I think she knows what her best option is now.” Natasha told them.

“Yes, and it seems like Asgard.” Eris cast a glance at Thor, who looked impassively back at her.

“How do we do this? When she changes back, she is going to be Loki, without the handcuffs on.”

“Oh, damn. There goes the back-up plan.” Loki muttered sarcastically. 

“Take them both to Asgard as they are,” Clint told him. “ I doubt Loki is the only one with magic there.”

“I’m not sure about this type of magic; it’s not of my realms.” Thor informed them.

“Then what do we do then?” Bruce asked.

"They will both go to Asgard and they both will be punished accordingly."

"Acording to who?" Bruce asked.

"The All Father."

"Eris is not of your world, do you even have the authority to punish her there?" Steve asked.

Whilst the Avengers carried on arguing, Eris turned to Loki. "Have you ever heard of a Hail Mary Pass? Its a football term."

"I haven't, but I understand what you mean."

“Oh! For the love of everyone you people have worshiped!” Eris shook Loki’s hands and the cuffs fell off. She grabbed her own face between her hands and muttered the spell, which Eris altered to emit a blinding light.

“Now,” he muttered.

Eris, now back in her own body, threw herself on the floor as Loki let out blast of energy, throwing the avengers to the floor.

“You’d have thought it would have been harder.” He remarked.

Loki didn’t see it but she did. “Loki! Get down!” She was too late; Thor’s hammer hit Loki full on in the chest, the force sending Loki flying backwards, with the hammer still on his chest.

“Get the shackles back on Loki!” Thor shouted. He was past being annoyed; he had had more than enough. He strode up behind Eris, and pulled her up by her arm. She yelped in pain. He jammed her back against him and moved his hand to her jaw, using his strength to stop her talking. “If you so much as breathe anything that sounds like a spell and Olympus will look like Valhalla.” He pushed her away and stumbled to keep her footing.

She turned to look at him, her golden eyes burning with hatred.

He ignored her and made his way to Loki. 

“Don’t worry, Thor. He’s been cuffed.” Natasha told him, as she moved away from him. “Hawkeye has eyes on Eris.”

“Thank you,” he told her. Thor leaned down to pull his hammer of Loki.

“The infinite uses you have for your toy.” Loki observed, as he wheezed from the weight of hammer.

“No more games Loki, no more blotched attempts to run. You will go to Asgard to face justice.”

“Oh, I simply can’t wait.”

Thor pulled Loki up off the ground and dragged him to the middle of the field.

-

“So, why not teleport?” Clint asked, his bow drawn, the arrow pointing at Eris’s right eye socket.

“I wish I could.” She replied weakly.

“You exerted too much energy breaking the cuffs. Right?” Bruce asked.

Eris smiled weakly. “Yes, you’ve got it.” 

Clint admired her simply for still standing.

“Bruce, can I just thank you for attacking the Furies, actually all of you.” She told them. 

Bruce blushed. “Don’t worry about it, no one should be dragged away against their will and caged up. Trust me I know what it feels like.”

“Think nothing of it,” Natasha said, “The Furies became a threat to us and the Earth so we did what we had to do.” Eris smiled at her. “You should leave with Thor now; I doubt it’s going to be safe here for you anymore.”

“Nowhere is.” She took a step forward and stumbled, breaking the handcuffs had taken more of her strength than she’d first thought. 

“Need a hand, ma’am?” Steve asked, shifting his shield to his other arm.

“Making sure I don’t escape?” She reluctantly took his arm and lent against it.

“Yes ma’am.” He replied smirking. “I just want to say sorry about the…”

“The incident in the van?” she offered, “Don’t worry, I have dealt with worse. I just didn’t expect it from you that’s all.”

He smiled at her and the walked over to Thor and Loki is comfortable silence. Thor looked at her coldly whilst in comparison Loki grinned at her.

“Guess this is goodbye.” Steve told her. “If you ever need someone to cry on, you know where I am.”

“Thanks, can you say goodbye to Tony for me, he’s seems to have gone left.”

“Will do.”

Thor turned to Steve and nodded. “Thank you, Rogers. I will take them to Asgard and I will leave your realm in peace.” Thor told him. “But the Bifrost has been repaired so my absence will not be long. Give my farewell to the others.”

“I’ll do that to.” Steve gave a brief salute before turning to leave.

Thor waited till Steve and the others were at a safe distance. He looked coolly between Eris and Loki before raising the hammer above his head and summoned the lightening to   
signal for the Bifrost to be open.

Then it did and it was beautiful. The colours of the rainbow bridge shot past, the bans of light passing through their skin, making it tingle. Eris marveled at the extensive mass of darkness sprawling out beyond the bridge. Then they arrived, spat out from the Bifrost into a gilded metal room. Then everything in Eris’s vision went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly the end, glad you made it this far.  
> I reckon Steve would have picked up some interrogation tips from Natasha and I think he'd use them if he thought it was necessary after all he is a soldier.   
> I made the Avengers forgive Eris or at least not be overly mad at her for helping Loki, after hanging out with her and probably becoming friends I guess they could see why she wanted to go where she wanted to go no matter what and at the end she really has no choice that to do what she has to.


	15. Conclusion

Heimdall stood on his platform before the gate of the Bifrost, waiting for them to arrive. They were close. He gestured to the waiting guards to signal their immediate arrive. Thor was returning with Loki in chains yet again and this time he was bringing another, not an Asgardian but an Olympian. He wondered how her presence on Asgard would be received by the All Father and whether Loki would remain imprisoned here for longer this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet.  
> Thanks for reading. I'm planning on writing a second part to this, more Loki and Eris, more smut, more everything.  
> Hey maybe I'll look into other story lines here.   
> Maybe.

**Author's Note:**

> FYI I named it after one of my favorite Franz Ferdinand songs which happens to be about one of my favorite books and I thought the name was applicable to this fic


End file.
